Be My Queen
by All Hail The King
Summary: The storm brings the nightmares, and she finds herself in front of his door. Why is it always him, and for him, why is it only her?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own One Piece. Obviously.

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Chapter 1

Luffy stirred and groaned, roused out of his sleep by light tapping on his door. The small window on the wall behind his bed was dark, it definitely wasn't time for breakfast. He was hungry, but he didn't think it was time for his midnight snack either.

He yawned tiredly and rolled out of his bed, eyes shifting to the door when another soft knock sounded. He felt her presence, and felt that she was disturbed, maybe frightened of something? Was it the storm outside? He didn't think his orange-haired navigator was frightened of storms, not with how she conducted herself on the deck while navigating. Plus, he couldn't punch storms. Nobody made his navigator cry, if anyone made that mistake, he'd kick their ass all the way up and down the New World. It was a bit hard to do with a cloud though. Maybe he'd practice on Zeus, just in case?

He stood and crossed the length of his room when he felt her presence fade slightly, he had stayed sitting too long.

She walked slowly away, trying her hardest not to make noise. She jolted in surprise when a rubbery arm wrapped around her waist.

"Nami?" came the whisper, even before he gently lifted her and pulled her back to him. Of course he knew it was her despite the pitch black of the hall. His new abilities amazed her time and time again. The fact that he could sense the things around him awed her, and she constantly marveled at his new-found strength.

He put her down gently, just as he had picked her up, right in front of him. A strong hand ran through his hair and he yawned again, she immediately felt guilty for waking him up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I'll see you in the morning."

She turned again to walk away, but his hand wrapped around her wrist, and he turned her back towards him. Nami stumbled slightly, coming face to face...or face to chest, rather, with his toned, muscled body. She gulped at the sight of the jagged scar that ripped its way across his upper torso, a permanent reminder of the hell he had survived.

_Barely…_

"Nami..." he whispered again, drawing her gaze to his face. She wasn't the same height as him anymore, he had grown, she had to look up to make eye contact now. "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing Luffy, I didn't mean to bother you. You can go back to sleep."

He saw the uncertainty in her eyes, he felt that she was lying, and felt that she was getting ready to walk away again, for the third time. He reached out before she could, wrapped a strong arm behind her back, and pulled her close to him. She squeaked when she came in contact with his chest, a sound that was oddly endearing to him.

Luffy leaned down, brushing a few strands of her long, orange hair away from her ear with his nose, and whispered to her once more, "Nami, you can tell me anything..."

She involuntarily shivered against him when his lips brushed her ear. Her tongue brushed lightly against her lips, wetting the dried skin. Just as quietly as he'd been speaking to her, she said back "I'm scared."

Hot breath puffed against her neck. "Why?"

"I've been having nightmares..." His other arm snaked around her thin waist and pulled her even closer to him, burying her face in his chest.

"About Bellemere? And Arlong?"

"Mhm...and you..."

"Me?"

"Yeah...you said I can tell you anything, right?"

"Mhm..."

Her slender arms wrapped around his back, squeezing him tightly. Luffy opened an eye, slightly concerned when she started shaking against him, and even more concerned when he felt two small trails of wetness roll down his chest. "I had some nightmares that you die..."

"...Nami?"

"Hm?"

"Sleep with me."

"What?" Nami screeched, before remembering it was the middle of the night, and lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. She pulled away from him as far as she could, as she was still ensconced tightly in his arms. She normally would have slugged him through the roof, but Luffy was not normal, and she shelved such a thought temporarily as she noticed his head cocked slightly to the side and a concerned frown on his face. Did he really not know what he just said? "What do you mean, sleep with you?"

"What did you think I meant, dummy?"

"Don't call me a dummy, idiot! You shouldn't say ambiguous things like that! Be clear!" Nami huffed. Of course he wouldn't know the implications of that, she should have known.

"Whaddya mean, ambiguous? I said let's sleep together, not have sex..."

Nami was surprised that he actually knew what she thought he meant, and even further surprised that he knew the general allusion at all. She made to scold him, but the hand that was around the middle of her back slid to one cheek, clearing away the damp trail her tears had left with the pad of his thumb, before moving to the other cheek to do the same. Finally, his hand found its way to the back of her head and pulled her back to his chest. She didn't complain much, it did feel nice after all.

"You're weird, Nami."

"You're one to talk, rubber brains."

He laughed quietly, "I guess that's true."

He held her for a while longer, concerned with nothing but her even amidst of the rocking of the Sunny and the hammering of the rain across the body of the ship. Tired, and tired of standing, he yawned. He pulled away from Nami a bit, causing her to look up at him. "Nami, come lay down with me."

"You should have said that the first time. Stupid."

"You should have understood it the first time. You are my navigator after all. Dummy."

Nami huffed and made to respond but was interrupted by Luffy gently pulling her into his room. The door locked shut behind her, and she was soon tugged to his large bed in the corner of his room. She watched as he laid on his bed, eyes slipping over his torso. Nami noticed he was only wearing boxers and felt heat rush to her cheeks at the realization, especially considering she was only wearing a tank top and a small pair of shorts. Luffy rested his hands behind his head, and she couldn't help but notice how his muscles stretched _oh-so-nicely_ like that...

After a few seconds Luffy opened an eye. "Well, are you coming or what?"

She jolted slightly and made to climb over him, taking care not to touch him and those rock hard abs that for some reason she couldn't seem to stop staring at. To her utter relief, after an eternity of clumsily clambering over her captain, she finally settled down without any incident next to him, making sure she had a good gap between their bodies. Nami wasn't sure why, but being near her idiot captain tonight was making her flustered and nervous, and she didn't like it. Her brows furrowed as she stared up at the ceiling, laying as rigid as a board.

"Nami, what are you doing?"

She jolted slightly and turned her head towards Luffy, only to find him staring at her incredulously. "Hm?"

"What are you doing?"

Nami scowled. "What does it look like, idiot?" she snapped. "I'm lying down like you told me."

Luffy laughed softly, "I know you're lying down. But how am I supposed to protect you from nightmares if you're all the way over there?"

"Eh?" Nami didn't have much time to think when he rolled over on his side towards her and a strong arm wrapped around her waist. She squeaked when he pulled her towards him, and a second later her nose was buried in his chest, the same chest she had trouble keeping her eyes off of a minute earlier. The first thing she noticed was the astounding amount of body heat she felt rolling off Luffy in waves. Her first instinct was to snuggle closer to him. Her hands, which had somehow made their way to his broad chest, flexed, smoothing over the warm skin beneath her fingertips.

In the next instant, she realized just what she was doing and immediately started to panic. She tried to wiggle away from Luffy, but his grip around her waist was too tight. She squirmed and squirmed until she heard a soft growl that made her shiver and felt his other arm wrap around her upper back, pulling her closer to him.

"Nami," Luffy puffed, his hot breath gently brushing across the soft skin of her neck, "why are you wiggling so much?"

"Because we're too close. You have no concept of personal space." Not entirely the truth, but Nami prayed he would buy it.

He didn't. If anything, his hold on her got even a tiny bit tighter. "What are you talking about? Didn't Bellemere ever do this?"

"Do what?"

"When I was a kid, after Shanks left, I used to have a nightmare about bandits and Sea Kings. Makino used to say that to stop having nightmares, someone has to hold you real tight, and then the nightmares couldn't get inside your head."

"You would believe that."

He nodded against the side of her head, his cheek rubbing against hers. "It worked! I never had nightmares after the old man took me away from the village to live with the mountain bandits."

"Wasn't Makino just a bartender?"

"Yeah, but she was sorta like a mother. She let me stay at her place for a long time and let me keep a treasure tab."

"A treasure tab?" Nami asked, not liking the sound of anything that had to do with treasure and her human garbage disposal captain.

"Yup! Every time I ate or drank, I'd tell her to put it on my treasure tab and that I'd pay her back when I became King."

"Luffy," Nami sang sweetly, wiggling her way up his body so that she was eye to eye with him, "did you just say that you were in debt even before you became my captain, and that you're planning on spending _my_ treasure to pay someone back?"

"Yup!" he laughed, his usual shit-eating grin stretching across his face. More and more that smile of his had grown on her, so much so that it began to cause butterflies to flutter about her stomach. As worrying and troublesome as those butterflies were, and the implications of those things, she'd have to think of them later.

His smile grew even wider, not of his own accord, but when Nami grabbed his cheek and stretched it out to scold him. "And what makes you think I'll let you take my treasures?"

"I know you will," he said, still smiling despite having his cheek stretched an extra foot.

"And how do you know this?"

"Because I'm the captain."

Nami's eyes narrowed. "Just because you're the captain doesn't mean that I'll give away all my treasures, even if you do owe a debt."

"That's not why," he laughed. "I know you will, because I'm the captain, which means I know you best."

Not the answer she was expecting, to say the least. His cheek sprang back with a rubbery snap when she released it. "That doesn't mean anything."

"It means a lot."

"You're babbling nonsense," she huffed, starting to wiggle away again.

He stilled her with another tug at her waist, pulling her even more flush against him, her breasts crushed against his chest and her face tucked under his chin. His hot breath rolled across her ear as he whispered to her "It's not nonsense. I know you better than anyone else.

"I know how smart you are better than anyone else. I know how strong you are better than anyone else. I know how kind you are better than anyone else. I know how much you love your friends better than anyone else."

Nami's breath hitched slightly, she involuntarily buried face deeper into his neck, embarrassed by his words. She could feel her cheeks flushing as he talked.

He paused for a heartbeat, before continuing just as softly, "I know how you're greedy and stingy and stubborn and can be a dummy."

All of the warmth she felt during his compliments evaporated. She pulled back away from the warmth of his body and leveled a scathing glare at him. Her irritation shot sky high as she took note of his smug, mischievous smile, the smile that she was so used to seeing at the beginning of every adventure he ever dragged her on.

"You're not supposed to compliment someone, then immediately turn around and insult them in the same breath, stupid," she scowled at him.

His grin grew wider by a margin, "I didn't insult you, I just told you, I know you better than anyone else, your flaws included. It doesn't mean I like you any less for them. You wouldn't be Nami if you didn't have your flaws. I like Nami the way she is."

Nami stared at Luffy in response. He had always been like this, generally absent minded (borderline insane), but there was always a moment of clarity where he said something incredibly profound. It was in those moments, those rare (really rare) moments, that Nami got a deeper look at the person in front of her. While others mistook him as a simpleton or an idiot at first glance, which he really was, they made the mistake of making Luffy out to be _only_ those things. Nami, and everyone else in the crew, knew differently.

It's why they joined him on his insane journey, and why they respected and loved their blockheaded idiot captain so much.

He was wise in his own way, and moments like these, where he was able to express that wisdom in typical Luffy fashion, simple and right to the point, were incredibly special to witness. Especially to her.

But of course, Nami wasn't going to tell him that. That would be too easy, and not at all fun. She much preferred to make him squirm a bit, like she did when she scolded him.

So she pretended to be angry and rolled away from him. It occurred to her after she turned her back to him, that he could have easily stopped her from doing so.

"That was nice, but I don't forgive you. You'll have to make it up to me."

She felt him move closer to her, she felt the heat of his body acutely. It took much of her strength and willpower to not roll over and curl into him like a cat. When he spoke, his voice was low, almost husky.

"That's not all I know though, Nami." She felt a finger gently touch her shoulder and begin to slowly creep down the length of her arm. "You're not gonna let me finish?"

_God, does he comprehend how hot he is right now? _Nami blinked confusedly when she realized she was thinking of Luffy, _Luffy _of all people, like that. She gulped as his finger trailed even further down her arm. "Nope."

His fingers brushed over the skin near the inside of her elbow and soon left her arm, stopping on her side. "I know you're extremely ticklish," he whispered in her ear.

"Eh?"

He moved so fast she couldn't comprehend his actions, not until she was squirming as his fingers danced over her skin on her sides and by her hip. She squealed and laughed, twisted and squirmed, and did so even more when his other hand joined in.

"L-luff-," she gasped, unable to speak properly due to the vicious assault her rubber captain was launching across her body. She fought against his hands, but he was too strong, as much as she tried to fight him off he just kept drawing her back in. She faintly heard his laughter mixed in with her own. "No mo-"

Suddenly, miraculously even, she managed to get leverage on him. She took advantage of the situation and took an opening. Somehow, she ended up on top of him, straddling his waist and pinning his strong arms above his head. Her chest was heaving due to lack breath, and she sputtered out bursts of remaining laughter. "No more!"

Below her, her idiot captain was laughing, that big, goofy smile stretching wide across his features.

Finally, after a minute of choked laughter and heaving chest, Nami was finally able to regard the person beneath her. Heat built up in her cheeks when she realized the position she was in. _Oh my god._

"Are you feeling better, Nami?" Luffy asked from beneath her.

His question shook her from her momentary stupor, she regarded him from above. She looked straight into his eyes intently. This was the same man who had saved her village. The same man who had saved her sister.

The same man who had saved her.

Time and time again. And not just against powerful enemies. Every morning she woke up, she woke up to another day in which she could pursue her dreams, all thanks to the man beneath her. He was a constant headache, not so smart, and way too reckless...but she had seen so much because of him, experienced so much because of him, _lived_ so much because of him.

In their short time in the New World, he had already broken a Warlord, an Emperor's first mate, and had even conquered an Emperor of the Sea! He was a big shot in the most dangerous of seas, but that would only serve to bring more opponents, more powerful opponents. And then the inevitable clash with the enemy who had the power to shake the world and drag it to darkness...and another enemy, just as vicious, armed with the flowing power of hell itself.

Her gaze dropped to the scar on her captain's chest. An enemy who had already left his mark. And thus a fear bubbled in her belly, a terrible fear that she never wanted to feel.

The fear of waking up one morning and not being able to draw maps that marked _their _journey, because he was no longer there. The fear of waking up one morning and not hearing him yell for more food. The fear of waking up one morning and not hearing him demand the most absurd of adventures, causing her headaches, and then hearing his _shishishi _as he laughed at her reaction.

The fear of waking up one morning without him.

And then suddenly there was no other place she'd rather be at the moment, than with him, like this.

"Nami?"

His voice was low, husky even, and he was staring at her intently. His look and his voice sent electricity up and down her spine, to the tips of her toes and fingers. _When did the room get so hot?_

She leaned down slowly, never looking away from his eyes, until the very last second when she felt his breath on her lips, and her eyes drifted to his mouth.

The kiss was gentle, soft, sweet. Nami brushed her lips gently against his, barely even touching him. Her eyes fluttered shut when she felt the soft skin of his lips and remained closed when after they separated.

Nami's eyes blinked open rapidly when she realized what had just transpired. She looked down to find Luffy staring back at her, eyes slightly wider than usual but no other discernible reaction. She immediately sat straight up, a flush creeping up her neck and face as she considered what she had just done and the consequences to follow. A flood of thoughts raced through her head and she started to panic. _Oh god, oh god, oh god, what did I just do? What just happened? What does he think? What if this changes everything? What if he doesn't like me? What if this interferes with the crew? Is he angry? _

Nami snapped back to reality when she felt him move slightly beneath her. She watched as Luffy began to sit up, propping himself up on his arms behind him. He was staring at her intently, and she started to squirm under his gaze. "Luffy, I-"

His lips closed over hers. Nami froze as he pulled away, the kiss having been as gentle and brief as the first. She was utterly caught off guard by his response.

There was a brief pause where the world seemed like it had come to a complete stop as they sat, staring at each other. Luffy's eyes dropped from her eyes to her lips and back to her eyes.

Neither of them knew who ended up kissing the other this time, their third kiss, but both of them knew how much they wanted it. Nami's arms found their way around Luffy's neck, her hands burying themselves in his hair. In return, she felt a strong arm wrap itself around her waist, pulling her even more flush against him.

There was a slight pause when Nami added her tongue, a soft brush against Luffy's lips. She had never done anything like it before, the only roadmap for intimacy were the romance novels Robin suggested, so when Luffy's tongue gently grazed hers, she was surprised. If she didn't have any experience, there's no way he would…_but he did spend time on the island of women_…

The thought drove Nami to respond fiercely to Luffy, possessively even. She pressed herself closer to him, kissing him more roughly. Luffy responded just as intensely, ripping a moan from Nami. The sound ignited something within Luffy, a desire to be somehow closer to the woman sitting in his lap and crushed against his body.

_How is he this good?_

They broke apart shortly to catch their breaths before rushing back to each other with more fervor than before. Nami felt him shift, and then felt herself tilt down as her back hit the mattress. She gasped as they broke apart, and she found himself staring up at Luffy. Not one to be patient, she immediately leaned up and recaptured his lips, enticing him to come down with her.

The growl he made when she did sent a chill up her spine and heat down her belly, and she was only vaguely aware of her surroundings, while being distinctly aware of how her captain tasted, how he smelled, the heat rolling off his muscled body, the hardness pressing against her thighs-

She gasped and pulled away when she felt him, _all of him_, against her core. Her quick motion seemed to worry him, given the look on his face and how he started to quickly move away from her.

"Did I-" he began to ask worriedly. She shook her head quickly and wrapped her arms and legs around the back of his neck and around his waist to keep him from moving away. He stilled his movements and watched her, confused.

"No, nothing," she shook her head, "I was just surprised, that's all…"

He nodded his acceptance while she peered up at him, waiting for her. She quickly ran through some mental deliberations about their situation and found that she really just didn't care about consequences of continuing at the moment. She was here, Luffy was above her, and that's all she needed for the time being.

So she gently rolled her hips against him, and gasped. She definitely wasn't wrong earlier, he was definitely aroused, and she didn't need it but the way he grunted and the way his eyes slammed closed only strengthened her findings.

When she did it again, Luffy quickly pinned her arms above her head and lowered his forehead to hers, his eyes still shut tightly. His warm breath blew gently over her face.

"I feel…" he panted quietly. She tilted her head up and gently kissed him again, and he responded in kind.

"It's fine, I just wanted to try something," she breathed back. She squirmed under him softly, hoping that his answer to her next question was what she thought it was. "Did it feel...okay?"

Luffy opened his eyes at her question and nuzzled her nose with his. "Yeah, it did! I just...I've never…"

"Never what?" she asked back.

"Ace told me about this stuff when...before he," his eyes became unfocused and she immediately freed her right hand and brought it up to cup his cheek. The feel of her hand pulled him out of his musings. He blinked and looked down at her before continuing, "I've never felt this before…"

And suddenly her nerves were soothed, and she was indescribably happy. She smiled brightly at him, "So you've never done this with anyone before? Nobody has ever made you feel like this before?"

He shook his head, and she felt giddy. She had hoped that he was just as new at this as she was, not an outlandish assumption given his naiveté and demeanor, and for it to actually be the case made her incredibly happy. Even amongst the Isle of Women, where there was sure to be temptation (she tried her hardest to ignore the uncomfortable feeling she got when she first saw the Kaizoku Jotei, knowing that he had spent two years on an island with _her_), he had resisted it.

And for her to be the only person to elicit that feeling from him, she couldn't describe the liberation she felt at the moment.

"Nami?"

She blinked and looked at the concerned face of the man above her. Nami smiled back at him and twisted her body, forcing them onto their sides, facing each other.

"Are you ok?" Luffy frowned.

Nami nodded and kissed his lips gently again. "I'm just happy."

He smiled again, wide and gleaming, and she found herself smiling with him. "That's good! I like a happy Nami."

"I like a happy Luffy," she said back, laughing softly at how absurdly childish it sounded coming out of her mouth.

"I'm always happy!"

"I always like you, then," she replied. She made a show of frowning and glaring at him before teasing him, "except when you do crazy things and drag me along with you, like when you jumped off Zunisha."

"But that was fun!"

"It wasn't fun," she growled, "that elephant was super tall! We could have died!"

"But we didn't," he grinned.

"No, but we could have!"

"But we didn't!" he repeated, as if that alleviated anything.

She glared at him, wondering a bit how she ever ended up following the lead of the blockhead in front of her given his penchant for putting them in the worst of danger, only to completely disregard the thought as she looked at his wide grin. _That's why._

Before Nami could respond to his ridiculous sense of fun, he cocked his head slightly before reaching out and brushing stray orange strands of hair from her face. He cupped her right cheek and slowly rubbed against the soft skin underside of her eye with the pad of his thumb.

She had always been a bit stumped by him, he acted as freely as the sea itself, shifting between emotions as quickly and fluidly as the winding currents their ship sailed on. Often times, she was lost in his "pace", as Law called it, swept away and subject to his every whim. Laying there beneath him, staring up at his onyx eyes was no different. They had just been laughing and joking and teasing, and in an instant he was leaning over her and staring down at her with an intensity that left her absolutely smoldering inside.

She opened her mouth to ask him why he was staring at her like that, and maybe tease him about having to pay if he wanted to kiss her again, but instead yawned loudly.

He chuckled then, smiling at her softly as she flushed a faint red. He moved quickly, rolling her on her right side and pulled her closely to him. She could feel the warmth of his chest against her back, and the warmth of his arm as he wound it around her belly, tucking her more securely against him.

And _wow_ did it feel good.

Nami shifted slightly, readjusting her head on the arm that Luffy had snaked under her, marveling a bit at how arms that could pound entire mountains to rubble could be soft enough for her to lay on.

She blinked quickly, peering inquisitively at Luffy's hand just in front of her, and then again at the hand Luffy had splayed across her stomach. She smiled wide before reaching out with her right hand, placing the back of her hand in his palm and then snaking her left arm under his, so his hand was on top of hers. As if reading her mind, Luffy gently intertwined their fingers.

"Sleep, Nami," he whispered, nuzzling her ear softly with his nose, "and worry about the future later."

Nami hummed her assent, eyes drooping as the heat of Luffy's chest and the beat of his heart pulled her into a pleasant, dreamless sleep. Her last thought before drifting away was of the man that had his arm wrapped around her waist, how crazy it was to be like this with him, and how despite the insanity, there was no place that she'd rather be at that moment than in his arms.

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To the person that served as my beta for this story, thank you very much. Couldn't have done this without your help.

To everyone else, thank you for reading this. The mistakes should have already been caught, but if any fell through the cracks, let me know. Story is already finished, just have to go through each chapter and edit. Not sure when the next chapter will be posted. Hope you enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Zoro yawned loudly, running his hand through his hair before making his way down from his perch in the crow's nest aboard the Sunny. The warmth of the dawning sun on his back and the orange-tinted glow across the ocean's surface made him smile slightly, and he paused in his descent down the rope ladder to appreciate the serenity of scene around him. Whatever Gods that may exist knew that peace on _this_ ship with _this_ captain was a dream in its own right.

"Oi! Breakfast is ready!"

The love-cook's call was answered by a multitude of bustling bodies emerging from all over the ship, heading to the ship's dining room to eat some of Sanji's delicious breakfast. Not that Zoro would ever tell Swirly Brows what he thought of the cooking, of course.

He planted his feet on the grass deck of the Sunny and turned in time to see both Chopper and Usopp tumbling towards the kitchen door as they fought mid-sprint to get to the table first. The end result was them tripping over each other, bouncing into the kitchen with a crash, and having Sanji yell at them. Brook and Franky were the next through the door, laughing boisterously at the antics of the pair before them. Jinbe, Nami, and Robin followed next, the latter pausing to look over her shoulder at him and send him a flirtatious wink before continuing on her way.

Zoro scowled slightly, a little warm on the inside due to her…_attentions_. Robin was unique in how she could easily throw him off-balance, something that he prided himself on not allowing to happen. For whatever reason he found her hard to handle at times, not used to having to deal with the _unique_ set of problems she presented, especially more recently than before now that they'd begun this...tryst of theirs.

_Speaking of problems…_Zoro thought to himself, spying the orange-haired witch among them. Zoro noticed she seemed especially shifty to start the morning, more than usual.

He watched as Robin made a comment to the younger woman, only for Nami to jump slightly and not directly look Robin in the eye. Robin giggled at something and made to follow Nami who had hurried into the dining room following the exchange.

_Odd_, Zoro thought to himself. And even more odd was the absence of the loudest, most flamboyant person in the crew, unheard of around any of the meal times. A quick check with his haki confirmed that Luffy was indeed _not_ in the dining room, rather Zoro found his presence in his room still asleep.

He changed direction, instead of climbing the steps to the dining room, he made his way across the lawn to the door leading to the hallway on the deck level. He opened the door and immediately heard the muffled commotion of his crewmates above him, eating and laughing.

Zoro turned right as he entered, ignoring the door in front of him, and a left at the next corner. He walked the length of the dim hall, the only sound coming from the soft steps of his feet on the wooden floor. He passed the aquarium to his left, pausing a moment to appreciate the dancing pattern of light being reflected across this section of the hall, as the sun shined through the top of the tank. Fish danced away in the tank, blissfully unaware of the fact that they were all just in waiting for Zoro's rubber-headed captain to pick which one of them he wanted for dinner. He looked through the glass tank to the room perpendicular to the aquarium, the viewing area where the crew could lounge and relax while enjoying the fish.

_Not the only use_, Zoro thought, as his dark-haired archeologist crew mate popped to mind. _Again. _

Zoro sighed to himself before continuing his trek towards Luffy's new room, willing away thoughts of Robin and their newfound…_whatever_ it was they had going on.

Lost in his musings (rather, desperate attempts to keep Robin out of his mind at the present), Zoro wandered on, choosing to focus on this relatively new part of the ship following Franky's renovations of the Sunny to include Luffy's new room. Zoro rounded a corner to his left, putting him now behind the aquarium. Luffy's room was in the center of this hallway, which wrapped around the aquarium in a square. The entrance to this single hall, and the exit back out onto the deck, was directly opposite of the door to the captain's quarters. Franky had plans to install other rooms on the hallways lining the side of the aquarium, though he wouldn't go into detail on what he had planned. His only explanation involves an assurance that the new rooms would indeed be "super".

The nondescript wooden door in the middle of this hall was not enough to completely snuff out the sound of Luffy's massive snores, and Zoro briefly questioned as he approached the door on his right how the hell they managed any sleep before Franky built Luffy's new quarters. Furthermore, the oddity of Luffy still being asleep when breakfast was ready struck Zoro, and a slight wave of sadness washed over him as he considered what had been the motivating factor to the new room being made and wondered if it had been the reason Luffy was still sleeping now.

"_Oi, Luffy. You don't have to be ashamed…"_

Zoro stopped in front of the door and banged hard on it. The door creaked a bit and rattled on its hinges due to the strength of the knocks, but anything less would never rouse his captain.

"Hey, Luffy! Wake up! Breakfast is ready, come get your food!"

No sooner had the last syllable rolled off the swordsman's tongue had there been a loud bang and another loud thud, resulting from Luffy nearly blasting the door to his room off of its hinges and running straight into Zoro, who then careened into the wall and then the ground, painfully.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Zoro fumed, looking up at his captain standing above him with a blank expression.

Luffy erupted into laughter after a second, "Zoro you idiot, what are you doing down there?"

"You're one to talk! I came to get you for breakfast-"

A light seemed to go off in Luffy's eyes at the mention of food, and he gasped dramatically. "That's right! Zoro, food!"

"Wait, no!" Zoro yelled, too late, as a rubbery arm stretched and wrapped around his right leg in a death grip. A second later, Luffy took off in a dead sprint through the hall with Zoro bouncing against the ceiling, the floor, and the walls as Luffy ran.

Another bang was heard, and the swordsman was momentarily blinded by light signifying that he and Luffy had made it to the deck. A short moment later a cacophony of noise entered Zoro's ears, before he was thrown upwards slamming into the ceiling before crumpling unceremoniously into his seat at the dining room table.

He sprang up instantly and drew two of his blades, glaring at the rubber headed idiot he called his captain. "What the hell is wrong with you? I'll cut you!"

Luffy, mouth somehow already full, yelled in fright after Zoro's outburst, running around the table desperately avoiding the swings of Zoro's swords as his vice-captain gave chase. "No! Nami, save me! Somebody!"

The rest of the crew watched and laughed, avoiding the sprays of food from Luffy's mouth as he pleaded for help (being able to interpret Luffy's speech while his mouth was full was an acquired skill, and completely necessary for survival as often as he was eating).

Finally, mercifully, Sanji stepped in perhaps more to save whatever sanctity this dining room had left than concern over their rambunctious captain. A minute later, a thoroughly-scolded rubber man and an annoyed swordsman took a seat at the table, sitting next to each other.

Zoro sighed, _again_, and as he fended off food theft attempts put forth by the man on his left wondered what shit star he had been born under to be sentenced to life aboard _this_ ship with _this_ rubber-domed moron as his captain.

But of course, there was no place he'd rather be.

Another threat with a butter knife quickly thwarted another one of Luffy's attempts to steal food from his plate, leaving the captain to harass Usopp on his left for some of the sniper's food. It was then Zoro noticed that it was indeed _Usopp_ sitting next to Luffy, and not one orange-haired navigator, who was sitting on the other side of Robin to his right.

In fact, Luffy noticed as well, stopping to peer questioningly at Nami, before carrying on with his assault on the food supplies.

Zoro eyed her then, wondering why she wasn't sitting in her usual seat next to Luffy, and she quickly, _very_ quickly looked away. Narrowing her eyes at her, he noticed that she was trying _very_ hard not to meet his gaze while adorning a slight red haze on her cheeks.

Luffy oversleeping and being late for breakfast, and Nami avoiding Luffy as she clearly seemed to be doing and being flustered about it (Nami jumping because of Robin before entering the dining room came to mind), were maybe coincidental on their own, but together? Something must have happened, Zoro concluded.

_About damn time,_ he thought, before reaching over and slamming his fist on the top of his captain's head for sneaking some meat off his plate. _Damn nuisance._

* * *

Breakfast, as always, was a raucous affair. Forty-five minutes later, and dozens of swats at rubber hands by the crew (Usopp had even erected a fort of dining utensils to protect his food, to no avail), saw Nami preparing a beach chair on the lawn of the Sunny to relax after having set the ship on its way to wherever their destination was for the day.

She was worried about breakfast on her way to the dining room.

She had woken up that morning wrapped tightly in Luffy's arms, her face buried in his chest and her hand splayed across his abdomen. She was so _warm_. She peeled back a little bit (not that she really wanted to, Luffy's chest was a wonderful sight to her eyes, and even more wonderful to be in contact with) so that she could see his face.

He looked so peaceful. She raised a hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from his face. She softly traced his facial features with an index finger. His eyes, his nose, the scar under his right eye, his cheekbones, his lips.

She gently placed a kiss on his lips, smiling as he stirred.

Waking up to him like this, encircled by his arms and held to his chest was wonderful. Heavenly, even.

A thump from upstairs jolted her, and she panicked. She quickly slipped from his grasp, an impressive feat considering his strength, making sure to not wake him as she escaped his grip (she noticed how his arms searched for her, even as she left them, and her heart melted just a bit). After a moment of hesitation, she turned and slipped out of Luffy's room, rushing up through the doorway and racing to her and Robin's shared room hoping that none of their crew noticed her or where she came from.

She had fled from him. Ran right from his arms after he had comforted her the previous night. It was cowardly. She felt guilty for leaving him there alone, thus her worries.

And it got worse.

She sprinted into her room only to find Robin was awake, getting ready to go to breakfast. She looked up from putting on a pair of comfortable looking heels and smiled at Nami.

Devilishly.

_Damn_, Nami cursed to herself. Of course Robin knew. Of everyone on the ship, the fucking spook would know.

Nami played it off, turning away from their archeologist and striding over to the dresser on her side of the room to grab her clothes for the day. Pulling out a black top, a small white pair of shorts, and her bikini Nami made her way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

She pointedly ignored Robin's giggle on the way.

And of course it got worse.

On the way to breakfast, of course Robin would tease her.

"Say, Luffy doesn't seem to be around yet," came the whispered needle. "A bit odd wouldn't you say, Nami?"

She jumped, and Robin giggled again at her discomfort, and she bolted to the dining room. She chose a seat away from her normal seat next to Luffy, which ended up placing her between Robin to her left and Jinbe to her right.

Zoro had gone missing too, it seemed, which dulled the comments about Luffy not being there. The fact that both of them were missing brought less attention to the oddity of Luffy's absence. Though every time their captain was mentioned, Nami felt Robin's teasing gaze on her. Which she ignored, of course.

A short few minutes later there was a bang, and everyone turned to the door in time to see Luffy grinning like an idiot, dragging Zoro like a sack of potatoes behind him. Another bang saw Zoro's head smash against the ceiling as Luffy threw him up in the air, which lead to a mad chase as Zoro tried to slice their captain clean in half for his antics.

The crew, including Nami, laughed at the scene and Nami could help but think _of all the people to fall in love with…_

_Love?_

Her cheeks burned at the thought, and out of the corner of her eye she spied Robin glance at her curiously, but mercifully chose not to tease Nami any further.

Finally, the pair sat down, and breakfast was underway in its usual chaos.

Luffy had noticed that she wasn't next to him. Their eyes briefly met before she turned away.

_Love?_

And she caught Zoro staring at her. She didn't dare look him in the eye, having guessed that he disappeared earlier to find and wake Luffy. He was probably already suspicious due to Luffy not being the first in the dining room and had obviously noticed she wasn't in her usual seat. She prayed that he wouldn't say anything and luckily her prayers were heard.

And here she was, forty-five minutes later. The ship was on its way, she was away from problem elements of the crew (Luffy, Luffy, and Luffy), and she could now relax and soothe her frayed nerves.

She lounged on her beach chair, soaking up the mid-morning sun while donning a cute red bikini. She liked red, Luffy wears a lot of red.

_Stop!_

Nami sighed to herself, closing her eyes behind her dark tinted sunglasses.

"Trouble in paradise, Nami?" Robin spoke softly, from the beach chair not far to Nami's left.

Nami peered over at their archeologist, dressed in a black bikini and orange tinted shades. A book was opened (of course, Robin always seemed to have a book within her grasp), placed face down on her lap to save her spot.

Nami could tell that she wasn't trying to tease her (thankfully), and also that she wouldn't be escaping this talk.

Nami turned away and looked down to her hands which had made her way to her lap. Her own book, borrowed from Robin, rested in her lap unopened. She traced the hard cover with her hands, stalling for time. Irony struck her then, as the book in particular was a romance novel Robin recommended.

She chuckled softly to herself. A romance novel. Of course.

"So it's Luffy then, is it?"

Nami's head snapped up and she quickly turned to her companion and offered a mighty shush, with her finger over her lips. She glanced around in a panic, but no one was in the immediate area.

"No need to be so jumpy," Robin sang. "Franky took the boys down below deck to show off another one of his inventions, and our captain managed to _persuade_ even Zoro and Jinbe to go with him. And Sanji will be busy in the kitchen for quite some time, as you know."

Nami smiled, knowing that Luffy's "persuasion" likely was reminiscent of the scene this morning when he dragged Zoro into the dining room by his leg.

She looked down at her hands again, flexing and smoothing her fingers over the pink cover of Robin's romance novel that inhabited her lap. She sighed. "Where do I even start?"

"How about with what happened last night," Robin replied, with a knowing smile on her face. Nami looked at her and gave a grin of her own.

And she told Robin. She told Robin about her nightmares (Robin already knew, of course, being roommates). She told Robin of wandering the ship, of somehow ending up in front of Luffy's room. She told Robin of Luffy, his behavior, holding her to his chest, of his clumsy invitation into his room. She told Robin of how he comforted her, about how he explained how well he knew her, of mercilessly tickling her, of how she leaned in to kiss him because she just felt that she absolutely had to and of his reaction to her and of his arousal. She told Robin of how Luffy tucked her close to his chest and how she drifted off to sleep with their hands intertwined and his heartbeat in her thumping powerfully at her back.

And she told Robin how she woke up, buried in Luffy's strong chest, of how serene and peaceful he looked. And she told Robin of how she panicked, and how she left him there, and how she felt guilty for it.

When she was done, the sun had climbed to its maxim in the sky, and the boys had long since ventured out from below deck and Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper had already organized a game of tag. Zoro was taking a nap, leaning against the rails having successfully fended off Luffy's attempts to get him to join in their shenanigans.

She looked down again at her hands and that damn book in her lap, almost taunting her given its contents. She was also well aware of how Robin was peering at her curiously.

"And how did you feel? How do you feel now?"

Nami sighed. "Last night? Confused and happy and scared and everything in between. Now? Confused and scared and guilty…"

"And not happy?"

Nami shook her head, hair brushing against her back with the movement. "No! When I think about it, about what we did, about how he felt and how he held me close and waking up with him…it's so wonderful! But…"

"But then you're confused, scared, and guilty all over again."

Nami bit her lip and said nothing, choosing to be silent and watch Luffy run away from Usopp, shouting and hollering as the later tried to catch him. Jinbe stood behind the wheel of the ship, periodically looking over his should at the commotion behind him. And of course, Zoro was lost to it all, sleeping like the dead in one of his many naps.

"What is there to be confused about, Nami?" Robin pressed on. "Certainly not how you must feel for him? I mean for one, out captain is quite attractive, wouldn't you say?"

Nami still said nothing and just continued to watch, while trying (and failing) to tamp down the flush that was starting to rise on her face.

"And it isn't unpleasant to imagine him in situations like the one on page two hundred and fifty three of that book in your lap. How did that scene go? 'His lips gently ghosting just under her navel, he trailed soft kisses down her belly creeping closer to her core. His arms delicately spread her legs, the sight of his head between her thighs burned itself into her memory, and the feel of his tongue against-'"

"Is the only reason you let me borrow these books to get me to imagine racy scenes with Luffy?" Nami snapped, turning her head to pin her raven-haired friend with a dark glare.

"So you _have_ imagined yourself being with Luffy in those kinds of situations then?" Robin shot back, bringing her hands to her mouth as she giggled.

Nami clamped her mouth shut, face burning.

"Imagined him 'dipping to plant a kiss on her core, moving his tongue in light circles around-'"

"Robin!" Nami exclaimed, burying her red face in her hands while Robin fell victim to a wave of laughter.

"Oh Nami, I'm only teasing. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit. Don't be so embarrassed."

"It _is _embarrassing though!"

"Why? You're a beautiful young woman and he's an incredibly handsome young man. You two have an incredible friendship and he's a staple in your life. Why is it embarrassing that you'd imagine him like that? That you'd imagine the both of you like that?"

"B-because he's Luffy!" Nami sputtered.

Robin tilted her head at Nami, evaluating her. "Is that why you're confused? Because it's Luffy?"

"Well, yeah! Because it's _Luffy_," Nami replied. Robin remained silent, but Nami knew she was expecting an answer. She sighed softly and leaned back against her chair, so she could stare up at the sky through her dark sunglasses. "It's just…I don't know how to explain it. Last night was so _different._ So bizarre that I have a hard time even believing it happened. Luffy changes like the currents in the ocean from one minute to the next, but last night was abnormal even for him. When he held me like that…and said those things like that…and kissed me and everything else, it was like he was a different person almost…"

"I see," Robin said after a short pause. "So you're confused because you haven't been paying attention."

"I – what?" Nami said incredulously, glancing at her friend.

"You're an incredibly intelligent woman, Nami. But even the smartest of us can miss things," she said softly, her gaze wandering over the deck.

"What do you mean by that?"

Robin turned back toward Nami, "Only that you're confused because you think Luffy's behavior was strange last night, because he was so attentive and caring and gentle with you. I don't find it strange in the least because there's nothing strange about it, because I've been paying attention to both him, and you."

Nami looked at her quizzically.

Robin smiled and shook her head, "I'm surprised _you _didn't notice. Luffy's different with you."

"What are you talking about? He loves all of us."

"Yes, he loves all of us, and we all love him. He's our friend, our captain, and to many of us, or all of us, our savior. But that doesn't mean that our relationships with him are all the same," Robin replied. "For instance, both Zoro and yourself are the two people closest to Luffy in the crew. You were the first two to join with him, Zoro is his right hand and his first mate, and you are his navigator who directs his ship to where it needs to go. That's no secret and there's no shame in that."

"But Usopp-"

"Yes, Usopp is his friend. They do all types of silly things together. And so does Chopper. But they are not Zoro, nor are they you." Robin looked at Nami, whose face twisted into troubled thought. She swung her legs over the side of the beach chair she was relaxing on and leaned forward, grabbing Nami's hands in her own. Nami's gaze drew to Robin. "As I said, all of us have different relationships with Luffy. Luffy has impacted us all in different, extraordinary ways that wound up with us riding this ship on his insane journey of dreams.

"It's _fine_, Nami, for you to have a different relationship with Luffy. We all do. I would say that I'm closer to you than I am to Sanji for instance. Which is just fine. It doesn't make him and I friends any less. It's fine that you and Zoro are closer to Luffy than anyone else. He's got enough room in his heart for everyone on this ship, and then some. There's not any reason for you to feel bad about that. Nobody holds anything against you or Zoro for that."

Robin smiled at Nami, who still looked a bit unconvinced, before letting go of Nami's hands and returning to recline on her beach chair.

"Regarding Luffy's attention to you, specifically last night, he's always been like that. Perhaps it's instinctual, as you tend to gravitate towards him especially in times of trouble. He tends to keep an eye on you, or something to that effect. Not that he views you as weak or doesn't respect your strength," Robin said, the last bit to quell an indignant expression that had made its way on Nami's face. "Let me finish before you make any judgements."

Nami nodded her assent, and Robin smiled with her acquiescence.

"As I said, Luffy tends to keep a closer eye on you than anyone else, though I don't think it's necessarily an active intention on his part. Sometimes it is, but other times he just _does_ it... Again, I think it has a lot to do with how you gravitate to him. In times of duress, you lean to him. We all do, but you lean _exclusively_ to him. Zou, for instance. When we first met up again on Zou, you ran right towards Luffy. You've known Zoro and Usopp just as long, or almost as long, as you have known Luffy, but it was Luffy you ran to. Was his reaction to you then any different than last night?"

Nami thought back to Zou, about how scared she was because an Emperor was responsible for the kidnapping of one of their crew, about how guilty she felt because even after training for two years to prevent exactly what had just happened she was able to do nothing about it, about how scared she was that Luffy would be disappointed in them, in _her_.

She thought about how safe she felt in his arms when she ran right to him and hugged him, about how she felt everything would be okay despite how she was crying, simply because she was with him again. She shook her head in response to Robin's question.

"See? There's plenty of other instances too. Chopper told me of how you guys first met him, when Luffy scaled a mountain with his bare hands in a blizzard carrying you and Sanji on his back to make sure you were both safe, a task that _you_ had originally entrusted him with, according to Sanji.

"And I don't think I'll ever forget the look on Luffy's face when I had told him that you went with Enel on Skypeia. Luffy has always done crazy things, but he does even crazier things when it comes down to the people he cares about, and crazier still when it involves you. Zoro told me about you stealing the Merry just after meeting Sanji." Robin glanced at Nami, smiling deviously.

Nami had the grace to look ashamed, but only _just_.

"Zoro told me how he suggested that they leave you be. 'No! Nami's going to be our navigator, and nobody else!' he had said then. You've always been _his_ navigator Nami. His, and his alone. He's made that clear to everyone who thought they could take you from him. Arlong, Enel, Shiki. Oh yes, especially Shiki. Have you ever wondered why he was so mad? That he thought he had lost you, and that you gave up on him and didn't believe in him anymore?

"No Nami, his behavior last night was no different than anything else he's ever done in regard to you. He's broken those who have tried to chain you, climbed a mounting with his hands and feet in the middle of a blizzard to save you, fought a man claiming to be God to take you back."

Robin paused another time and turned to consider Nami again. "Not exactly the soft display he may have shown you yesterday though…Tell me Nami, has that hat of his ever found its way onto anybody else's head but yours?"

Nami opened her mouth to answer, but Robin held up her finger to silence her before she spoke.

"No, that time that Usopp took it while Luffy had on his fake afro doesn't count. Has Luffy ever put it on anyone else's head himself? Besides that adorable little girl from Wano, that is."

Nami smiled at the thought of Tama, who had latched onto Luffy during their adventure in the Land of Samurai, and their subsequent war against the Emperor, Kaido. His defeat had led to the cementing of Luffy's status as an Emperor, having already been considered the fifth Emperor following their stint in Whole Cake Island.

"No," Nami answered softly, thoughtfully. "He hasn't."

"Then isn't that your answer?"

Nami smiled a small smile, touched that such a gesture on Luffy's part, to be entrusted with something he considered to be his greatest treasure, would be an act of comfort that was singularly for her. How he had brushed away all of her worries and fears, be it before razing Arlong Park to the ground or on God's ship or on the eve of a fight with one of the four rulers of the sea, it was meant only for her.

She looked up and spied him, laughing and running away from Usopp and Chopper, easily outpacing them as they tried to tag him. She watched as he stopped and called them into a small huddle, hushed whispers now drawing Jinbe's gaze to them as he noticed the lack of noise.

She laughed as Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp managed to procure a mountain of water balloons from seeming thin air and pelt Zoro with them. The formerly sleeping swordsman sprang forth from his position cursing and chased after the trio as they yelled to Jinbe for help. Jinbe, for his part, only laughed as he watched the ongoing.

Robin joined her in laughter, and Nami fleetingly saw a brilliant smile on Luffy's face, one that filled her with warmth for no intelligible reason.

"Seeing him in perhaps a different light, Nami?" Robin asked, noticing the tender look that had befallen the navigators face. She continued as Nami turned sharply to face her, "No, that's not it. You've thought of him in that light for a while now, haven't you?"

Nami took a steadying breath before her reply.

"For so long now," she began quietly, "he's been a pillar in my life. _The_ pillar, having left home on this journey. I suppose you're right, I have always run to _him._ How could I not? He saved me. I'm free because of _him_."

Nami paused and thought back to the events at Arlong Park. How frustrating it was because she was trying to save them, _couldn't he see_? How he had refused to leave and how he had stopped her from stabbing herself any more in that godforsaken tattoo on her shoulder. How she had yelled at him and how he gently placed his treasure on her head and screamed to the heavens that he would help her.

And how he had risen from the ruins and rubble of Arlong's disgusting estate, having broken her tormentor and declared on top of the rusticated stone that he would always be her friend.

Nami pulled her legs up to her chest, hugging them tightly with her arms as she rested her chin on her knees to watch Luffy run around Jinbe to avoid Zoro's wrath.

"I suppose I first noticed it on Weatheria. Maybe I had always been somewhat conscious of it, but I think I first actively noticed it then. We had just gotten separated, and I had been trying to get back to our meeting place, but the News Coo came along and delivered that terrible news. And it hurt. It hurt so much that Luffy had watched Ace die in his arms, and I wasn't even there to help him. And then it hurt that even being there was irrelevant to begin with, I was so powerless on Sabaody, what would I have even done in Marineford to begin with? Besides be a burden to him?

"And what stuck out the most to me, after all the pain and hurt was just how happy and relieved I was that he was _alive_. Hurting and in pain, but alive. I was just so relieved when he sent us that message, if only because we had indelible proof that he had made it, and that he was okay. I wanted to be better for him. We had just gone with the flow up until that point, and when he needed us – _me_ – the most, I failed.

"I worked every day on that island to make myself better so that when next we met up, I'd be worthy to stand at his side as a member of his crew. To actually be able to do something when the situation called. Because beneath all the bravura and hot air," she shared a quick, sly smile with Robin, "and there is a _plethora_ of bravura and hot air, he needs us. He can't do it alone."

Nami turned to her head to look at Robin, her right cheek resting on her knees.

"I love him Robin. I imagined then what it would have been like if it had been him, not Ace, that Akainu took, and it hurt so much to even consider a world without him. I don't want to see that world Robin, I don't want to wake up and not see his face, his smile. I love him Robin, and I'm scared."

Tears had started to sill from Nami's eyes, traveling down her smooth cheeks and dripping onto her legs beneath her head.

"Why?" Robin asked.

"It could change everything."

"It will change nothing, as I explained. Only reinforce what already existed."

"But what if it goes wrong? What if it goes bad and we're never the same?"

"Nami," Robin gently chided, "don't say things that you don't believe. There will be ups and downs, of course, but you two are too close and care too much for that. The very fact that you love him given how…_high maintenance _he can be is proof enough that you don't even consider that to be feasible. And we already know that you could light the world on fire and he'd never think any differently of you."

"But the crew-"

At this, Robin chuckled. "Foolish girl. As I said, we've all seen it. We all have different relationships with each other, with him, and we guessed at how the two of you could end up. And how could we even stand between that and call ourselves your friends? What are we really, Nami, other than boys and girls who fell in love with adventure? Is it really that odd that some of us would fall in love with others? Are the two not the same thing? Is falling in love not an adventure? Go for it, Nami. Worry about Luffy and yourself, you'll find no argument among the crew. And no need to worry about a certain cook, either. We both know his act is more for show."

Nami's lips trembled slightly and she gave a choked sob as she held back laughter at the thought of their pervert cook.

"We're pirates Nami. By nature, we do what we will. So do what you will," Robin smiled. "As for your guilt, abandon it. Luffy would never hold such a thing against you, and if you still feel like that then just talk to him."

Robin tilted her head at Nami, and Nami nodded in return. "Good. Now some advice – hurry and dry your tears. Haki is a wonderful thing. Our captain has been antsy for the last five minutes or so to see what's wrong with you, and you know that asking him to be patient is like asking the grand line to exhibit consistent weather patterns. Unless you want to explain to him exactly how you feel at this moment?"

Nami gasped and looked forward, sure enough Luffy was sitting cross legged on the ground near Jinbe staring at her with his lips sucked into his mouth, Usopp and Chopper nowhere to be seen. The second they made eye contact Nami rushed to wipe the tears off her face, and when she pulled her hands away from her eyes Luffy was squatting just in front of her legs on her beach chair, forehead mere inches away from hers.

She yelped in fright at his appearance and recoiled away from him, leaning backwards so that she was pressed against the reclining back of her chair. Not an obstacle for Luffy however, as he simply stretched his neck closer towards her, ignoring the barrier her legs presented to him.

Even the shade from the brim of his hat, which was touching the top of her head because of how close he was, couldn't stop her cheeks from burning due to his proximity. She had half a mind to give him a good thump on top of his rubber head for being much too close but decided not to after seeing his expression.

"Nami," he whispered.

"Luffy," she whispered back.

"Why were you crying?"

"I wasn't crying." _Because of you._

"Your eyes are red."

"You're seeing things."

"I felt you crying with my Haki."

"Your Haki was wrong."

Luffy frowned childishly (which was entirely too endearing to Nami, she decided) and turned to Robin. "Robin, why was Nami crying?"

"She was? I must not have noticed."

"But you were talking."

"We were," Robin responded.

Luffy reached down towards the deck and picked up Nami's book, which had fallen off the side of her chair in her haste to create space between her and Luffy. "Was it because of this?"

"I can't say," Robin said. "I can't remember our navigator crying, Captain."

Luffy turned back towards Nami, this time completely disregarding any concept of personal space such that his forehead was pressed against hers. He examined her closely, and Nami held her breath, hoping that he would just drop it.

"I see," Luffy said sagely, catching both Nami and Robin off guard. "Mystery tears."

There was a brief silence before Nami erupted into laughter, Robin joining her in a fit of giggles.

"What?" Luffy asked confusedly, looking back and forth between the pair as they laughed.

"Nothing," Nami said, pushing him back causing him to fall backwards on his rear on the chair. "You're such a goofball."

"I am not!"

"You are too!"

Luffy opened his mouth to respond again, but a lightbulb seemed to go off in his head and his eyes widened.

"Nami!" he exclaimed, excited all of a sudden.

"What?" she retorted, happy that he dropped his earlier line of questioning and had moved on, albeit randomly, as is his wont.

He grinned a big grin and started to bounce happily, shaking the chair with his movement. "Come play with us!"

"What? No!"

"Why not?" he asked scandalized, as if appalled that she'd even think to turn him down.

"Because," she huffed in response, "I'm relaxing and sunbathing. I can't do either running around with you!"

"But Nami," he whined, "you do that every day! Come play with us!"

"I don't want to!" Nami shot back.

Luffy puffed out his cheeks in frustration at her continued refusal, which Nami found rather cute if she was being honest. She cocked her head when he stretched an arm out behind him grabbing something from across the deck. Her eyes widened when she recognized what it was.

"Don't. You. Dare." she growled.

"Come play, then," he said back.

"I don't want to," she said through gritted teeth.

Luffy grinned a mischievous grin and moved his hand over her head, the blue water balloon in his grip pulsing as he flexed his fingers around it.

"Luffy, if you even think about popping that balloon on me, I'll hit you through the Sunny."

"But Nami," he said, smiling wider, "you'll have to catch me first."

_Pop_.

Her eyes widened as the freezing cold water splashed over her head, and in that instant, she completely understood why Zoro had chased Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all across the ship. She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath in an attempt to control her anger, but it was moot as soon as the cold seawater made its way from her head down her back and chest.

"Luffy!" She yelled in rage, opening her eyes again and taking a mighty swing at him with her right hand.

She missed, of course, as he was no stranger to her fury and knew better to stick around to experience it. He dodged her blow easily and took off across the deck. Robin and their talk momentarily forgotten, Nami chased after him while he laughed hysterically.

She didn't hear Robin's chuckling, nor did she see a knowing glance the archeologist shared with Zoro.

She chased Luffy in circles around the main mast, before following him up the steps to the foredeck where he circled Jinbe, trying to hide from her wrath behind the fishman before bolting away yet again. Luffy sprinted back down the steps past Usopp and Chopper, who were sitting near the railing of the ship creating more water balloons.

"Gimme those!" Nami shouted, scooping up a pile of water balloons from the pyramid the two were creating.

"Hey!" they both shouted in protest, only to be quelled by an evil look Nami threw over her shoulder, causing the two to hug each other in fright.

Nami threw a water balloon at Luffy, which he easily dodged as if he had eyes in the back of his head. Another three Nami threw at her captain's back, and another three he dodged with ease, all sailing over his shoulder as he moved towards the aft of the Sunny.

A "yohohoho" signified that they had passed by Brook, and his "that's dangerous, Nami-san" was met with silence as she had tunnel vision at the moment, entirely focused on catching her prey.

Her next throw also missed Luffy, who had now made his way up the side steps leading to her precious mikan trees near the stern of the ship. He turned and began to climb the steps backwards, still easily keeping away from her clutches. She only had two water balloons left.

He stuck his tongue out at her and teased her with his hands on the side of his head, like a child would. In his mirth, he took too large a step and his heel caught the top of the staircase. A look of surprise flitted across his face before he tumbled backwards.

_Yes!_ Nami thought, she sprinted as fast as she could taking the steps two at a time, reaching the top just in time to catch Luffy rolling over preparing to get back up and begin running.

She lunged at him and tackled him. They rolled over a few times, before Nami managed to stop their movement, her straddling his waist looking down at his smiling face. She grinned a devious grin and held up the two water balloons she managed to keep a hold of while they tumbled. A look of shock crossed his face as she held them over his head and popped them right in that stupid face of his.

He sputtered and coughed as the seawater drenched him. Quickly, while he was distracted, she grabbed his hat off of his head and stood before taking a few steps away.

"Hey!" he shouted, sitting up from his spot on the ground.

"What?" she smiled coquettishly, turning back to him. "I am a thief, you know."

He smiled another large smile, a radiant smile that made her heart take an extra beat. "I know."

And she ran. As fast as she possibly could down the steps on the other side of her mikan trees, opposite of where they had climbed up and, head headed once again to the bow of the ship. She was distinctly aware that he could have caught her with ease, just as she was distinctly aware of how he would have never stumbled like that to begin with, or how he could have easily righted himself while falling or after he had already fallen.

"_Luffy's different with you."_

She was at the middle of the ship when she felt his rubber arm wrap firmly around her waist. She squealed as he picked her up and pulled her to him. She hugged his hat firmly against her chest, as if it was the most precious thing in the world to her.

A short moment later and she was pressed against his chest, forehead to forehead with Luffy. They laughed together as he spun her in the air, and when he put her gently back down on the deck she jammed his hat back down on his head, forcing his head down.

They continued to laugh.

He brought his head back up to meet her and pressed his head against hers again.

"Nami," he called softly, breathing steadily as if he hadn't just run all over the ship.

"What?" she asked, panting from the exertion of keeping up with him and trying to regain the breath she had lost laughing.

"Save me," he whispered, grinning.

She pulled her head back in confusion as he unwrapped his arm from her waist. And then her eyes widened as he jumped up to the rail of the ship.

Their eyes met for a long moment, and he grinned even wider before putting his hand on top of his head, intending to keep his hat in place.

And then he jumped.

She gasped, running forwards to the rail and looking down at the water even as landed with a large splash. She saw his grinning face as he started to sink.

"Luffy!" she yelled. She didn't even hesitate before diving in after him.

Just before she hit the water, she heard yells from the ship, but then only silence as the water enveloped her. The salt water stung her eyes briefly as she opened them to find her captain drifting slowly downward, still gripping his hat to his head and still grinning.

_Idiot_.

She heaved downwards, easily swimming the approximate five feet between them. She hooked one of her arms under his and redirected them, adjusting her body to begin swimming upwards. They broke the surface shortly thereafter, gasping for air. Nami's chest heaved and her lungs burned as she greedily sucked in air.

Uproarious laughter met her ears, and she turned to her right and leveled a withering glare at Luffy, even as they were both still sputtering for air. He missed it though, as his eyes were closed from laughing so hard.

"Luffy!" she yelled, holding him above water.

He continued to laugh, not acknowledging her. They ignored the line of rope Usopp cast towards them, as Luffy was preoccupied with laughing his head off and Nami because she was getting ready to give him the mother of all scoldings.

She turned and walloped him on the head with a mighty blow. "What were you thinking?"

He had the audacity to stop laughing and look at her in confusion, ignoring the curious (and panicked, in the cases of Usopp and Chopper) gazes of the crew above them.

"What?" he asked, as if he had done nothing wrong to warrant her hit.

"What do you mean 'what'?" she scolded, "you could have drowned."

"Nope!" he smiled, "I told you to save me!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" she growled.

"Everything," he laughed. "I knew you were going to save me!"

"How could you have possibly known that?" she retorted angrily, as they continued to bob with the ocean.

"I saw it," he replied, "I knew you'd save me."

She glared at him then, confused by his statement. "Don't ever do that again!"

"But we're ok!"

"That doesn't mean you should have done it!"

He cocked his head at her and raised an eyebrow at her, "C'mon Nami, don't be angry. You know it was fun!"

She turned away from him, which was difficult enough while treading water with what basically amounted to dead weight on her back. "It was not."

He laughed again, softer this time and whispered gently in her ear. "I told you Nami, I know you. You can't lie to me."

She shivered with his breath on her ear, and turned back to him and glared, unwilling to concede that while he did almost give her a heart attack, it _was_ fun.

Luffy suddenly pulled her close to him and stretched his free arm up to the ship, pulling them out of the water with less force than usual due to the weakening effects of the ocean on his body.

They popped over the railing, and Luffy put her down gently, while he sat on the rail. She turned to him, and as she opened her mouth, he took his hat from his head and pressed it gently down on hers, her head sinking slightly with the pressure of his hand.

She reached up with both hands and grabbed the rim of the hat on both sides of her head, surprised by his actions. She lifted her head so she could see him under the brim of the straw hat. She was caught off guard by the intensity of his stare.

"Are you happy, Nami?"

"Huh?" she sputtered, confused by his question.

He sat before her in silence, monitoring her, waiting for her answer. She was confused, until she realized the source of his worry. _He saw me crying…_

"_Luffy's different with you."_

"Of course, I'm happy!" she replied earnestly, a bit desperately in order to ease his concern.

He regarded her sternly momentarily, as if searching her. She suddenly felt very exposed under his gaze, still clutching at his hat as water dripped from her body onto the deck. She distinctly noticed that none of the crew were near them at the moment, having vacated shortly earlier, perhaps of Robin's accord.

Then he grinned widely, a big grin that made her stomach tumble in circles and opened his mouth to say something to her.

And a drop of rain landed between them. Both of them stared at the ground where it had landed. A chill ran up Nami's spine and she looked to the sky, still clear of any clouds. The sun shined on them brightly.

She glanced at Luffy, who was still looking at the sky. Quickly she turned away from him, his hat on still on her head. She ran towards her room to get her jacket.

"Everyone!" she yelled as she ran, "to your positions! Hurry! There's a big storm on the way!"

A door opened behind her.

"Hm? Really?" Franky's voice reached her. "There's not a cloud in sight!"

She bolted across the lawn to reach the Girl's Quarters under the foredeck of the ship, slamming open the door and rushing to her closet. She pulled out a light, white raincoat and slipped it on before speeding towards her door.

"Idiot," she heard Sanji call to Franky, "if Nami says it, it must be true."

She ignored them and took a quick right, up one of the two staircases on either side of her and Robin's room. She took the stairs two at a time, preparing to bark out orders to Jinbe at the helm as well as the rest of the crew. She noticed that Robin had already used her ability to slip their beach chairs in their room along with their towels and books.

The moment her foot touched the top step, the world was swallowed by darkness.

A bolt of lightning lanced brilliantly across the sky, arcing like a serpent through the clouds that had suddenly appeared and swallowed up the sun. Thunder boomed, exploding in a massive blast that rattled the ship.

Then came the wind, a ferocious sustained gust that swept across the sea with the force of a furious hurricane. Nami struggled to keep her balance.

The rain came next, in driving sheets that chilled her to the bone. Another arm of lightning danced across the sky, illuminating the sea with the fury of the heavens. She struggled to the rail behind the helm that overlooked the grass lawn and the back of the ship.

When she finally was able to maintain her balance long enough to reach the rail, she began to bark orders to the crew.

"Zoro, Sanji, Franky, Chopper, Brook," she yelled mightily. They all looked up at her, "Reign in the sails. Zoro, Sanji, Franky, you three take the main sails. Chopper, Brook, you take the foremast! Robin, use your ability to make sure they don't fall off!"

"Aye!" they all yelled in unison, scurrying off in a cacophony of motion to complete their task.

She turned to Jinbe, "Jinbe, to thirty degrees to port! We'll ride the current out and away from this mess!"

"No."

Luffy's voice was quiet, but intense. It carried across the entire ship, despite the howling wind and the booming thunder and the pelting rain.

Everyone on the ship froze.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled, both her and Jinbe turning towards the lion figurehead of the Thousand Sunny, where its captain stood resolute. "Luffy, this storm is bad! We have to get out of here! We risk capsizing the ship if we stay in this weather too long, we're bound to get a rogue wave!"

Another harsh gust of wind blew across the ship, stronger than any before it. Nami quickly grabbed the sides of his treasured straw hat, pulling it down desperately to keep it on top of her head.

"We do nothing."

"Luffy!" she yelled, furious at his refusal to heed her words. _Her. _His _navigator._ The one person you were supposed to listen to without question, outside of the captain. "Luf-"

"No. The only people that tell this ship where to go are the people on it."

* * *

Thank you everyone that reviewed the first chapter. They were all very kind, and much appreciated. Hopefully this chapter lives up to the previous one. Unless you hate cliffhangers, because then it might not. Mistakes should be snuffed out, but if you notice any, let me know and I'll try to fix it. Review please!

Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"_Luffy!" she yelled, furious at his refusal to heed her words. Her. His navigator. The one person you were supposed to listen to without question, outside of the captain. "Luf-"_

"_No. The only people that tell this ship where to go are the people on it."_

And the wind howled.

The rain drove down in thick sheets, and lightning forked across the black sky, illuminating the immediate vicinity in its brilliant light. The sea roared in fury, tossing the Sunny to and fro, each wave slamming down on the sea with such intensity it sounded like explosions going off around them, each concussion rattling through the ship.

Nami stumbled again, forcing her way past Jinbe to get a better look at Luffy, partially hidden from sight behind the mane of the Sunny.

"Luffy!" she yelled, urging him to pay attention to her, "we have to do something!"

But her words fell on deaf ears. Luffy didn't even turn around to look at her, instead standing with his back to her on his spot on the figurehead, arms crossed and head tilted up, staring at the sky.

"Luffy, this isn't a game! The sea is too strong right now!"

A hand on her left shoulder stopped her from marching up to Luffy and forcing him to listen to her. She turned to the person on her side, surprised to see Zoro not at his post as she had ordered him.

His eyes might well have been drilling a hole into Luffy's back, such was the intensity of his stare.

"What are you doing? I told you to raise help raise the sails."

He didn't answer her, only dropped his hand from her shoulder and brushed past her. He tilted his head up towards the sky, following Luffy's gaze.

"What is wrong with you guys?" she exclaimed turning towards Jinbe behind her.

Jinbe stood behind the wheel, maintaining a sturdy grip on the wooden spokes. Briefly, she thanked the stars that he was such a fantastic helmsman. He was strong and levelheaded, calm and sharp, everything that a helmsman needed to be in order to navigate the seas, especially here in the New World. The fact that he was such a powerful addition to the crew (he was a former Warlord, after all) was also a welcome benefit.

But Jinbe wasn't looking at her either, giving a quick glance towards Luffy before looking up towards the sky like Zoro before him.

Footsteps pounded against the wooden steps, and Sanji came running up to join them. "Oi, Luffy! What the hell are you doing not listening to Nami?"

At Luffy's silence he scowled before marching forward, intent on offering his knucklehead captain a good kick to correct his attitude. He took no more than two steps before his visible eye widened and he stopped in his tracks. Drops of rain snuffed the flame from his cigarette as he looked towards the sky.

The ship swayed perilously, and Nami started to get angry with the lack of action on the part of her crewmates.

"Don't worry, Nami," Robin called to her. She hadn't even noticed the archeologist's approach up the stairs onto the bow of the ship. The rest of the crew were making their way up as well, Chopper latched onto Usopp's head. Usopp for his part was begging Franky to create some kind of invention to save them.

"Yohoho!" Brook laughed, trailing behind them. "This storm has me chilled to the bone!"

Nami ignored all of them save Robin, spinning to meet the archeologist with a glare. "What do you mean I shouldn't worry?"

"Exactly that," she smiled, convincing Nami that she too had perhaps gone nuts like her captain. "After all, they say _he _comes with the storm."

"'They say he comes with the storm?'" Nami repeated in confusion. And then she gasped as the realization washed over her, like the rain his arrival had brought.

"Oi, Robin!" Usopp called. Franky, Brook and Chopper (still attached to Usopp's head) also glanced to Robin, curious to know the meaning of her statement. "What do you mean-"

The ship lurched mightily, causing them all to stumble. Nami fell forward and grasped the slick wood of the railing in front of her. She looked up into the air to see Luffy flying skyward seconds after jumping off the figurehead of the ship, his movement having caused the lurch that had almost sent her sprawling over the edge and into the sea.

"Luffy!" she screamed out watching him disappear into the dark thunderclouds above them.

She looked over to Robin in thanks, the raven-haired archeologist having used her ability to grow limbs out of the deck of the ship in order to hold the them (as Usopp, Chopper, and Brook had lost their balance, too) down.

Light suddenly blinded Nami momentarily, and as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, she noticed that the wind and rain had stopped. It was eerily silent.

She tilted her head skywards again and gasped.

Sunlight filtered through a massive hole in the clouds, at least a mile long in diameter with the Sunny at its epicenter. Off in the distance, all around the ship, rain continued to pour over the ocean.

But here, in the middle of this ring, it was as if they were in the eye of a hurricane. Such was the combined might of Luffy and the man he was in combat with.

It was only temporary, however. As Nami stared in awe at the incredible feat of strength above her, she heard a rush of wind that sounded like a freight train and watched as the storm rushed back to occupy the space it had just been forced out of. The clouds met with with a violent clap, more of an explosion than anything, and the wind and rain returned with even more ferocity than before, and lightning rained down from the heavens like the water it had accompanied. Each clap of thunder was deafening, rattling the ship with each concussion. The sea churned like it was boiling.

A metallic grind echoed through the area and black lightning pierced through the clouds, joining the abundance of natural lightning already produced by the clouds.

"We're all going to die!" Usopp cried hysterically.

"Well, death by lightning isn't so bad," Robin said calmly, a hand moving to her chin in thought. "I doubt we'd be alive to feel the burns."

"Oi Robin, stop scaring them," Zoro called out from the bow of the ship, pointing to Usopp, Chopper, and Brook, all of whom were huddled together crying and screaming about not wanting to be roasted alive. Robin merely giggled in response.

Zoro scowled and turned his attention away from their morbid archeologist in time to see a stray bolt of black lighting lance towards the Sunny. He frowned and leapt in in the air, drawing his three blades to intercept the errant bolt of haki.

The impact of the strike jarred Zoro's arms and he grunted under the force. He struggled momentarily before managing to redirect the bolt to the port side of the Thousand Sunny, the ocean exploding in a spray of water with the impact. Steam rose from the surface of the sea with the heat of the lightning strike.

Zoro fell harmlessly back to the deck of the ship, landing with a soft _thud_.

_He's as every bit the monster Luffy is_, Zoro thought, sliding his swords back in their sheaths. _And they're only testing each other out, too…_

Continuing to watch the struggle above and observe with his haki, Zoro idly wondered what his purpose was for coming to them today. He had guessed who their visitor was, having overheard Robin's statement to Nami, and couldn't help but be curious as to his intentions.

Another stray bolt of haki made its way towards the Sunny, only to be sent back into the sky. He turned to his left, where Jinbe had just used his Fishman Karate to ward off the lightning.

He shared a smile with the helmsman, both thinking the same thing.

_Things are never dull with Luffy._

Luffy could take care of himself, but Nami couldn't help but be worried. Even though she was absolutely sure that he wasn't here to hurt Luffy, accidents did happen, right?

She immediately discarded the sentiment, Luffy would be just fine. She focused on maintaining her balance as another massive concussion rocked the ship. _They're demons, the both of them!_

And then it was over.

The natural lightning, the black lightning, the explosions, the howling winds, the driving rain, all of it gone. The dark clouds remained, but of the rain, only a light drizzle remained, accompanied by a gentle breeze.

Nami looked skyward again, for what felt like the millionth time in the last five minutes, to see a red blur hurtling down towards the ship. She felt her heart sink into her stomach as she realized Luffy was in free fall, and she was frightened that he'd miss the ship and sink in the ocean's depths.

As he approached the ship at an alarming speed, she spied him twist before losing track of him behind the crow's nest and the foremast of the Sunny. She rushed forward, sprinting down the stairs to the lawn deck, to see that Luffy had landed without a sound in the center of the lawn. She rushed to his side and was joined in short order by the rest of the crew, each checking to make sure their troublesome leader was okay.

Usopp, Chopper, and Brook assaulted him with questions regarding his health, while the others looked him over to make sure he was unharmed. Nami opened her mouth to question him, but a gentle breeze blew across the deck, almost lifting the straw hat from the top of her head. She quickly grabbed it by the brim with both hands to secure it.

Beneath the brim of Luffy's treasured hat she saw that his attention was not on any of the surrounding crew, instead his focus was above them, back towards where they had just come from.

Nami followed his blank stare behind her and saw the rest of the crew do the same.

On some level, Nami supposed that she was surprised at his appearance, and on a deeper level surprised that she was surprised. On two different accounts, really. In the micro, had she even given it any thought, she would have guessed that this was bound to happen at some point. In the more general sense, one would think that the surprise itself would simply fade over time. After all, for whatever reason Luffy attracted all sorts of trouble on this insane journey of theirs, and with that trouble oftentimes came a whole host of big names. Who could ever forget the first time they met the right hand of Gol D. Roger himself, Silvers Rayleigh. They had run across just about every Warlord, a few of the Admirals, and two of the mightiest pirates to ever reign across the sea. Hell, even Luffy's grandfather, who they had run across way back during their stint in Water Seven, was renowned as the greatest Marine in existence, a hero who rivaled even the Pirate King.

Luffy _himself _was a legend the world over in his own right and would only climb higher and higher.

But even with their penchant for meeting big shots, Nami (and the rest of the crew, for that matter), couldn't help but be in awe at the figure before them.

"_He looks nothing like me!"_

Nami recalled a statement made by Luffy, not to long ago now, on their way to rescue Sanji from Big Mom's clutches on Whole Cake Island.

And in fairness to Luffy, it was true to an extent. You probably wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at an image of him in a newspaper. But as Nami looked at him, standing on the railing of the upper deck, looking down at them from just in front of the wheel, she knew that to be false. She could tell that instantly.

Luffy was every bit the son of Monkey D. Dragon.

It wasn't exactly in the general structure of the face, Luffy's was a tad bit broader while Dragon's sharper, longer. No, Luffy was Dragon's son in the eyes.

Looking up at Luffy's father, it was the eyes that sent a chill up her spine. The _same_ eyes as her captain. The same shape, the same crinkles at the edges of his eyes, the same piercing gaze. The intensity was so _Luffy _it was disorienting.

And Luffy was Dragon's son in the grin, as well. It was the same grin she had seen so many times, she could close her eyes and see it perfectly. The wide, shit-eating, take-on-the-world grin that had stolen her heart, Luffy had most certainly inherited it from his father.

And that was to say nothing of his strength. When Luffy had first called Garp his grandfather in Water Seven, and when Garp consequently revealed Luffy's father to them, her first thought was that it was only natural that Luffy be as strong as he was. His grandfather was a legendary marine who was so strong, he stood on equal footing with the strongest pirate to ever sail the seas, even stronger than Whitebeard! And his father, a revolutionary who threatened to shake the World Government to its very core, the Most Wanted Criminal in the World!

This man was _strong_, she felt it to her very core. They had met Admirals, he was certainly stronger. The Emperors were the strongest to sail the seas, of any faction, and before them was a man that perhaps rivaled and eclipsed some of them. He was even more intimidating than his wanted poster expressed, more than his picture in the newspaper was able to quantify. Perhaps it was the tribal tattoo that spanned across the left side of his face that emphasized the intensity of his gaze, or his long mane of hair that hung untamed and free that complimented his wild grin.

Silence reigned, save for the soft sound of a gentle breeze and the soft lapping of the sea.

He stood there, on the guard rail above them, tall and proud. He was dressed in an all-black suit, an orange dress shirt under his suit jacket. Black dress shoes complemented his attire. A dark, forest green cloak rested over his suit jacket, it fluttered gently with the soft breeze.

He looked down at them from his perch, surveying them. They all watched and waited on bated breath. His eyes moved over them in silence, inspecting them, grin large and unchanging on his face.

He lingered on Zoro for a tad longer than he had anybody else in the crew, before turning to Nami. When his eyes flicked in her direction, she felt like she was under a microscope, exposed under his gaze. He measured her for what felt like an eternity, and then his stare drifted upward to the hat that sat on her head. She flushed slightly as his eyes wandered back down to meet hers again, and there was a softer quality to the look he was giving her.

_He knows_, Nami thought to herself.

And then he moved on, finally turning his gaze upon his son. There was a brief moment where they stared at each other, Dragon still with a grin on his face, and Luffy with his head cocked slightly and a look of simple curiosity on his.

Suddenly, the air around them changed. Dragon's eyes took on a much more ferocious look, his pupils seemed to shrink, and it looked like he was trying to drill a crater into his son with his gaze. Nami looked to Luffy and saw that the curiosity on his face melted into a soft frown, his eyes mirroring his father's.

The ship shuddered harshly, tossing and bobbing as the sea trembled. The air between Luffy and Dragon felt heavy, charged with electricity. Bolts of black lightning cackled around them. Nami heard a sound like a rushing waterfall and turned towards the side of the ship. The sea had split down to the seafloor, a chasm at least ten feet in width forming a ring around the entire ship.

The crew braced themselves as a massive gust raged in chaotic patters from their collision of haki. They glanced up at the sky to see the sky had split itself in half.

Nature itself trembled with the presence of Kings.

And then it was over, as suddenly as the chaotic storm that preceded this meeting.

Nami dropped her arms from her head, having used them to shield herself from the elements. She peered around at the crew, even Zoro, Jinbe, and Sanji had braced and shielded themselves in an attempt to preserve themselves from the tempest. A rush of water signified the return to normalcy for the ocean, the thunderclouds above unified once more.

Dragon's grin melted into a relaxed, easy smile as he looked down at his son, happiness clearly etched across his face.

"Well, I've been waiting a very long time to meet you."

There was another silence while Dragon did nothing but smile as they all regarded him with curiosity.

"See? I told you he doesn't look anything like me." Luffy stated, turning to Zoro on his left and pointing to his father. Nami sighed at his flippancy, and the moment was effectively ruined.

"No, he's definitely your father, can't you tell?" Zoro responded, and the crew dissolved into chatter. Usopp, Chopper and Brook exclaimed to the world about how they thought they were going to die (but Brook's already dead of course, yohohoho) while Franky laughed at them and told tales about the Sunny would have never let them fly off because the ship was "Super!".

Meanwhile Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji (somehow involved with the mention of women) were bickering about some nonsense involving parentage while Jinbe shook his head and Robin merely giggled at their antics.

It amazed Nami, absolutely amazed her, that in such an important moment, _this _is how her crew responded. One of the most important people in the world strolled onto their ship, and here they were acting like children.

And then Nami sighed, because it absolutely, perfectly suited them (and truth be told she wouldn't have it any other way).

She looked to Dragon, who hadn't moved but was watching them curiously, grin still plastered across his face.

_At least he seems to be enjoying himself_, she thought.

He turned to her again, and she immediately felt herself being measured. There was curiosity in his gaze, obviously wondering as to her relationship with his son. And she was in no way interested in being confronted with that by anyone again today, after her talk with Robin.

She forced herself to look away from Dragon's dark, obsidian eyes. _Luffy's dark, obsidian eyes_, she thought. She shook her head, mentally scolding herself for her constant flustered state as it pertained to Luffy. Her attention shifted to the object of her thoughts, still in an argument with Zoro and Sanji over whether or not he looked like his father.

She marched over to Luffy and he noticed her presence immediately, turning towards her and subsequently ignoring whatever Sanji was saying. His eyes quickly found hers.

"_Luffy's different with you."_

"Hey, Nami!" he called to her as she drew near, "tell these guys-". She silenced him with his hat, jamming it down on his head, hard enough to force his head downward with the motion. He peered at her from under the brim of the straw hat curiously, as if confused why she gave it back to him.

_Because your father is super smart, that's why. Either that, or I'm incredibly obvious. _

"He's definitely your father," she said sternly, not leaving room for any argument.

He blinked, then puffed his cheeks out in a pout. Nami almost laughed at how childish he looked but fought against it as she didn't want to do away with her stern act. Still, the corners of her lips edged upwards in a small smile as it struck her how he looked pretty damn adorable with that ridiculous face. "But Nami," he whined, before extending his neck forward and quickly wrapping himself around her body twice before coming to rest just in front of her face, the brim of his hat pressing up against her forehead, "I _know _he's my father, but he doesn't look anything like me!"

But Nami ignored him. She yelped the instant he extended his rubbery neck around her body and scowled when he pressed his face close to hers. "Get off me!" She reached forward and grabbed his cheeks with her hands in a vain attempt to push him away (yes, she was distinctly aware of his father's gaze lingering on the both of them), but he would have none of it.

He pushed back against her hands, eventually winning out with his strength. He broke through her hands and wrapped himself around her once more, sealing her arms under his neck and ignoring her protests (and Sanji's for that matter). This time his forehead met hers directly, and he gazed directly into her amber eyes. She felt at that moment like they were in a bubble, just the two of them, nobody else and nothing else even existed in their world. When he spoke, he spoke softly.

"I _know _he's my father, but he doesn't look like me at all! See?"

He popped their little bubble when he followed his statement by leaning back and stretching his neck backwards toward his father. Luffy didn't wrap completely around his father, to Nami's annoyance that seemed to be an action reserved just for her, rather he extended his neck past Dragon's right shoulder, around his back, and came to rest with his right cheek pressing against Dragon's left. He stared down at her seriously, expectantly.

Nami sighed, joined by Zoro, while Robin, Jinbe, and Franky merely laughed. Sanji was still railing against the injustice of the position of Luffy's body, while Brook, Usopp, and Chopper were all screaming hysterically about Dragon smiting them with lightning, wind, and waves.

She looked at Luffy and Dragon, and understood why Robin, Jinbe and Franky were laughing. It was hard for Nami herself to hold back a chuckle when she saw the look of surprise on Dragon's face, with his cheek mushed up against his son's face while the latter glared down at her. It was comical, and something so out of the ordinary that it was perfectly ordinary on _this_ ship.

"You just aren't looking hard enough."

"What are you talking about? I am looking hard enough, not a thing like me!" he exclaimed seriously. He turned to look at his father, "Look! He even has a tattoo! I don't have a tattoo!" He paused for a second, thoughtfully regarding his father. "That's a pretty cool tattoo."

Dragon blinked and smiled.

"That's not how it works, Luffy," Nami said, exasperated.

Luffy's cheeks puffed out comically and he surged forward, invading Nami's personal space yet again. "That is how it works!"

"It isn't."

"It is!" Luffy confirmed, as if he was the World Government's leading expert on genetics.

"It isn't," Nami said again, beginning to lose her patience with the dolt in front of her. "It just means that you look more like your mother. But you still look like your father in areas, you're just not looking hard enough."

"Hm, so it's a mystery," he said, matter-of-factly. "You'll just have to explain it to me then."

"No, I won't."

"What? Why!"

"Because."

"Because why?

"Because, because."

He pulled a face and turned to Robin, "Hey Robin, you'll explain how it works to me later, right?"

Robin smiled as she approached Luffy, steps silent on the wooden deck. "Sure, whenever you wish. Though if I may, I'd suggest perhaps letting go of our navigator. It seems your safety is in jeopardy."

"Nope," he said succinctly. "She'll punish me."

"You're damn right I'll punish you!" she snapped, fuming. "Let me go this instant!"

Luffy recoiled from the volume of her voice, before surging forward and pressing against her forehead again. "No way! I don't want to get hit!"

"Too bad, let me go!" Nami started to struggle against Luffy's rubbery neck, straining against his strength. _How the hell is somebody's damn neck this strong?_

"Hey Nami," he said suddenly, lowly.

"What?" She snapped back in a growl. He was regarding her again and was once again struck by how his piecing stare resembled the man behind him.

"You didn't want the hat anymore?" he questioned sotto voce. His onyx eyes bored into her, and she had the distinct feeling that for whatever reason, she felt that he considered this a question of supreme importance, enough to end their childish quarrel.

A moment of confusion stymied Nami as she regarded his question, before thinking of how Luffy had put it on her head minutes before to, in his mind, comfort her against whatever he thought was plaguing her. Her eyes left his momentarily to drift towards his father before returning to him. She added just as lowly, "Later."

He studied her for a second, before nodding. Suddenly, his head whipped back towards his father, around Dragon's back, towards her and around her body before coming to rest with the rest of his body at the correct proportions. Still he stared at her, at his normal height and normal neck length.

And then he was staring at the ground after his head met it with a vicious thud.

"Ouch, Nami!" he cried out. "Why'd you do that?"

"I told you I was going to punish you," Nami said, standing over him with her clenched fist raised in front of her.

"Yeah, but why?" he whined.

"Because," she said to Luffy. _Because you were too close and your father was watching and he suspects something now. Because I have feelings for you and it's complicated and it scares me._ She couldn't say that, no, especially not in present company. "I almost fell of the ship because of you! Why'd you do that?"

"It wasn't me!" Luffy yelled, "It was him! Go punish him!"

"No way!" Nami shot back. She glanced up at his father, before returning to Luffy. "He's scary!"

"I'm scary! I'm an Emperor now!"

"You're not scary, you're just a dork!"

"If anyone here is scary it would be you, witch," Zoro mumbled before Luffy could retort. Usopp and Chopper quickly voiced their agreement, before shrinking back in terror as Nami whirled on them.

"What did you say?" came her vicious growl, which was followed by three brutal sounding thumps, laughter from Jinbe, Robin, Franky, and Brook, and then a stray (and as usual, ignored) comment from Sanji mentioning how beautiful Nami was when she was angered.

The cacophony of noise was interrupted by a harsh, barking laughter from Dragon. The crew stopped arguing and turned to him to find him meekly scratching the back of his head with one hand, while the other was raised just in front of him. A nervous smile graced his features. "Ah, I'm sorry Ms. Nami, I never intended to frighten anyone. The storms are, unfortunately, necessary to remain undetected."

He was met with a wall of curious silence, as the crew regarded him.

"Wow," Chopper said, breaking the silence. "So polite…"

"Sabo was the same in Dressrosa," Franky added.

"Ace was also rather polite and cordial to the people he was friendly with," Jinbe said distantly, scratching his chin, clearly lost in now-distant memories.

Sanji pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket, removed one from the container, and lit it using a sleek silver metal lighter retrieved from his other pocket. He took a long drag and exhaled, saying "Yeah, Ace was the same. It was off-putting at the time, considering this shitty rubber…"

Zoro growled, before reaching forward and tugging on Luffy's rubber cheek. "Why is it that instead of one of the somewhat _normal _members of this ridiculous family, we get stuck with _this _idiot?" He released Luffy's cheek, watching as it flew towards Luffy's face with a loud, elastic snap.

Luffy merely laughed at the words of his crew.

Sanji exhaled another puff of smoke, before stepping forward. "Well, it's certainly been a while since we've had any guests aboard. Would you like anything to eat?"

"Oh, no. I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense, you're Luffy's father. It's an honor." Sanji turned and started towards the kitchen, followed by the other members of the crew.

"Sanji!" Luffy yelled suddenly, "I want meat! Lots of meat!"

Sanji scowled and continued walking, not even bothering to look back, "I know, I know. You always want meat." He pushed open the door to the dining room and walked in, Chopper and Usopp bouncing in behind him.

Luffy gasped and grabbed Nami by the wrist, rushing forward and tugging her along against her wishes. "C'mon Nami, let's go! There won't be any left for us!"

"What do you mean? He hasn't started making it yet, stupid!" she sputtered, running to keep up with the pace he set. "Wait!"

"Oh, right." He stopped suddenly, causing her to crash into his back. She scowled at him when he turned around, rubbing the spot on her forehead that had collided with his _very_ muscled back. Luffy didn't look at her though, rather beyond her at his father. He motioned over his shoulder with his thumb, pointing to the dining room. "You coming, or what?"

Dragon smiled bemusedly, before nodding. He took a step off of the rail on which he stood and gently floated down to the deck. Luffy turned back and proceeded his march to the dining room, passing Zoro and Robin while still dragging Nami with him. She risked a glance over her shoulder at Dragon, who quite deliberately flicked his gaze Luffy's grip on her arm before meeting her eyes again.

She colored at his smiling face, now somewhat smug and teasing, before quickly turning away. As Luffy pulled her past Robin and Zoro, she managed to catch a glimpse of a pointed, smug look on Robin's face and a knowing look on Zoro's.

_Damn them_, she thought grumpily. _Damn all three of them to hell_.

* * *

"Sanji, I'm hungry! When is the food going to be ready?" Luffy yelled, after they had all been seated. Nami was seated next to Luffy, to his left, while Zoro was on his right and Robin next to him. Nami had absolutely no choice in her seat, as Luffy had kept a solid grip on her wrist and led her to the table. It wasn't anything Nami took issue with, nor did she take an issue with how he had wrapped around her and how he constantly found himself in her bubble. She actually found it kind of cute and endearing, but she wouldn't tell him that. The only issue was Luffy's apparent lack of notice of the people surrounding him, like his father, Zoro, and Robin, all of whom were aware (apparently anyway, in the case of Dragon and Zoro) of them.

But that didn't matter anymore, because Luffy had about as much discretion as a thunderstorm on the Grand Line.

"Hold on, damnit," Sanji growled, carrying over a dozen plates stacked high with a wide assortment of meats, vegetables, fruits, and seafood. A buffet for a human trash can, as they called their captain. It was still a sight to see, whenever Sanji cooked. Lecherous, perverted moron he may be, but he was certainly extremely skilled in the kitchen. He placed the plates on the table and gave a warning glance to Luffy. "Don't be greedy and eat everything all at once. I'll make more shortly, so take your time."

The moment he turned his back a plate of meat simply disappeared down Luffy's gullet, predictably. Sanji whirled and landed a kick on the back of Luffy's head causing his head to slam and bounce off the table.

"Ouch! What the hell did you do that for?" Luffy yelled.

"I told you to not be greedy and to take your time!" Sanji heatedly shot back.

"You said you were going to make more anyway, so why does it matter?"

Sanji's rebuttal was drowned out by a bark of deep laughter from the opposite end of the dining table. Dragon's laugh echoed in the small room, and they all turned to stare at him. Dragon put a hand behind his head, sheepishly stating "Ah, sorry about his eating habits. He was certainly influenced by my father it seems. Garp always said to eat as much as you possible could at every meal, because you never knew when the next battle would come. Garp never did anything in moderation, everything that man does is to the best of his abilities, including eating food. The only exception is paperwork at his job, perhaps."

They all blinked and exchanged a look, and Zoro shook his head. Sanji grabber Luffy's plate and brought it to the kitchen sink, sighing. "Yeah, we've had the pleasant experience of meeting Garp before. He seemed to be, well, Luffy-like, if that makes sense. Tea or coffee? We have alcohol as well, if you'd prefer."

"Oh, would you happen to have any scotch? If it's not any trouble, of course."

"Sure, one scotch, coming up," Sanji replied. He turned and walked back to the table with a tray of glasses and placed drinks in front of everyone seated. Beer for Zoro, Jinbe, Franky, and wine for Robin and Brook. Apple juice for Chopper and Usopp, a new fruity drink that Sanji had just created for Nami, the same for Luffy because he demanded a taste as soon as Sanji said he had something new in the works. And finally, a glass of scotch for the Most Wanted Man in the World.

Dragon lifted the glass to his lips and took a long, slow draught, draining half of the glass in one sip. The ice tinkled in the glass as he gently put in back on the varnished wooden table. Sanji raised an eyebrow and quickly procured the elegant bottle and refilled his glass. He left the glass bottle next to Dragon so he could refill it at his leisure.

"Oh, thank you," he said to Sanji. "It's quite good. I'll reimburse you for whatever I drink, that's not exactly a cheap brand."

"No need," Sanji replied, "You're a guest, we wouldn't hear of it."

Dragon smiled, "Are you sure? I've heard tell that Ms. Nami can be quite…intense when it comes to matters of money. I don't mind at all." He looked teasingly at Nami while he spoke.

"Hey!" Nami exclaimed, "That's not true!" She shot a look that spoke of torture and murder in Zoro's direction when the latter mumbled under his breath about it absolutely being true. "Where'd you even hear something like that to begin with?"

A giggle gave her an answer before she even turned to look at their archeologist. She glared something fierce at Robin, who met her glare with the cheeky, smug smile a cat might have as it walked in front of its owners' legs as they were preparing to step down a flight of stairs.

"What?" Robin asked, slyly. "Dragon was very curious to learn about the infamous Straw Hat crew, at least in private. I told him a little about everybody."

Nami huffed and turned to Dragon. "Well, she wasn't telling the truth. Everything is free of charge!"

The crew gasped comically while Luffy choked on the abundance of meat he had stuffed in his mouth. Zoro leaned over and gave him a good thump on his back to dislodge the food from his throat.

"Yohohoho, I'd never thought I'd see the day!" Brook exclaimed, "Though I have no eyes."

"Chopper, quick! We need to compile a list of all of our apocalypse-preparedness items!" Usopp yelled.

"Right! Franky, we'll need your help with this!" Chopper said.

"Sure thing. I've already got some super cool new inventions in mind! Perhaps it would be a good time to unveil the new anti-apocalypse robot minion equipped with the latest updated Franky Radical beam!" he said. A compartment opened from the palm of his massive right hand, giving way to a much smaller robotic hand carrying a pencil and a scrap of paper. The hand worked furiously as it scribbled on the paper. I'll call it Project Big Anti-Apocalypse Deterrent Artificial Security Systems. In short, Project Baadass."

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Nami snapped.

"Don't worry, Nami-san!" Sanji sang, "I'll be your security system during the apocalypse!"

Luffy slammed both of his palms down on the table and leaned towards Franky, stars in his eyes. "Eh? Robot minions? Updated Franky radical beam? Project Baadass?" he yelled.

"You shut up!" Nami said, hitting him on the back of his head, sending his face careening into his plate. She looked at the rest of the table with evil in her eyes, "As for the rest of you, any cost of this will be rolled into your debts, with an interest rate of three hundred percent!"

"That's more like it," Jinbe said, as Robin giggled.

"Ouch Nami, what was that for?" Luffy said, lifting his face off the table to look at her.

"Because I felt like it!" she said with a glare.

A barking laugh drew them all back to Dragon. "Quite the characters, you guys are!" he said, still laughing.

"Now that you're here, Dragon-san, I believe it's time to fulfill your promise," Robin said.

"Promise? What promise?" Luffy asked, turning to Robin.

Dragon's laughter died down, "Yes, you're right Robin," he said, before turning to his son. "My people found Robin shortly after the war, following your run in with Kuma." The mood turned a bit serious at the mention of the enormous Warlord, who helped set in motion some of the events that had led them to be separated for two years. He may have saved their lives, but that didn't mean it came without pain. Zoro's eyes narrowed somewhat at the Kuma's name, something Dragon took notice of. _Yes, I've heard of what you did. Kuma made sure to tell me that._

"As I'm sure Robin has told you, Kuma was one of my agents. I apologize for his actions, he was under no orders from me. Though I think it was for the best, despite the hardship?"

"He did save our lives." Nami nodded. "It wasn't preferred, but it was what we needed. Though last I heard, he became a human weapon for the World Government. A Pacifista…"

"Yes, that's correct," Dragon replied, narrowing his eyes. "We had long wanted to set up a line of communication between us and Dr. Vegapunk, the renowned scientist. It was his idea to use this particular method, and he volunteered himself for it. I spent many meetings trying to convince him otherwise, but he insisted…" There was a pregnant pause as Dragon thought of his colleague. He came out of his silent reverie a short few seconds later, "We're happy to have him back though, even if he isn't the same as before."

"We read about that in the newspaper," Franky said. "Super ballsy of you to crash the Reverie and declare war on the Celestial Dragons."

"Ha!" Dragon exclaimed, looking around. "This coming from _you_ guys. No sooner had that made the news, did you crush an Emperor and open the borders of a country that had long been closed." Everyone took notice of his sly grin and the pride in his eyes.

They all broke into chatter about how it wasn't really anything special in the wake of Dragon's compliment, while Robin merely chuckled at the reaction of the crew.

"Say," Usopp said, "Should you have really told us that stuff about Kuma and Vegapunk? What if the World Government is listening?"

Dragon raised an eyebrow. "Nothing to worry about, I've already taken care of it. Your ship is clean, and nobody monitoring you from a distance will have success due to the storm."

"Huh," Luffy said, eyeing Dragon curiously. "You already cleaned our ship. When'd you have time to do that?"

There was a collective sigh from around the table.

"You moron," Zoro said.

"Luffy," Robin called, getting the attention of the captain. He peered at her curiously. "He didn't clean the ship. He means that there aren't any listening devices on the ship," she explained.

"Ah. Got it." Luffy said, stuffing another piece of meat into his mouth.

Nami rolled her eyes and sighed before turning back to Dragon. "You mentioned a promise to Robin?"

"Ah, yes," he replied, amusement still coloring his features at the antics of his son. He turned to Nami, "Robin was brought to me after my people found her in government-controlled territory that we were in the process of liberating. She asked me to train her for two years until the time when she was scheduled to meet back up with the rest of you guys, in return for her services. On top of that, she requested that I tell her my story. I promised that I would, but that it would have to wait a while longer. After all, Robin wasn't the only one I had wanted to meet." He glanced around the room, before his eyes came to rest on Luffy. "And here I am."

The silence that followed was not an uncomfortable one, the crew patiently waited for him to speak, while he seemed content to stare at his son in amusement as he put stuffed his mouth with plate after plate of meat.

"From the beginning then, Dragon-san?" Robin asked, before reaching for a small slice of bread in the center of the table.

Long fingers on a large, strong hand lifted the glass to his lips and he took another sip of his scotch, before returning it to the wooden table before him with a gentle clink. He blinked at her and smiled, "From the beginning then."

* * *

Thank you all very much for the reviews, they've been very kind. Please leave more! Had to split this chapter in two, as it was getting pretty long. This is the shorter of the two halves. Hope the payoff was worth the cliffhanger. Should be relatively mistake free, but if you catch any, let me know.

Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"_From the beginning then, Dragon-san?" Robin asked, before reaching for a small slice of bread in the center of the table._

_Long fingers on a large, strong hand lifted the glass to his lips and he took another sip of his scotch, before returning it to the wooden table before him with a gentle clink. He blinked at her and smiled, "From the beginning then."_

"I grew up idolizing my father," Dragon began lowly, prompting Luffy to pause momentarily to consider his father. "My mother died when I was young, and for the longest time it was just me and Garp. It was hard on him, losing my mother, and then subsequently juggling his duties as a marine with his duties as a full-time father, but he made it work. He was a bit _unorthodox_, to say the least. I can't tell you how many times I was thrust into forests or ravines or made to fight tigers or bears and the like."

He chuckled a little at the mix off horrified faces (Brook, Nami, Usopp, Chopper), and the exasperated expressions on the faces of the crew with a bit stronger disposition. "Oh, he was always close by, always watching over me. He would have never let me get seriously hurt. _'You're going to become a great marine one day, Dragon. A great marine,'_ he would say."

Luffy made a choking noise and blinked at his father, and Dragon smiled. "Yes, so you've heard it too. I expected no less, especially after what I became. He only wanted what was best for me, for us." There was a distant look in his eyes, for the moment he was living in years past. "And it's what I wanted too."

"My dream, all those years ago, was to become a marine, and a great one. The greatest," he said, to the surprise of the crew. "I wanted to be someone that surpassed my father, the legendary Garp. I remember begging him to tell me stories of his time as a marine. _'Father, tell me about how you defeated the Rox alliance. Father, tell me about your battles with Roger, and Whitebeard,'_ and he'd laugh and tell me, and then we'd go to the forest and he'd train me. And when he was gone on another adventure, I'd train myself to be stronger than when I was when he left me."

"I grew older and stronger, but also more perceptive to the world around me." Dragon paused to take another drink. "We lived in a small area, just outside of a village in the East Blue called Foosha Village, on Dawn Island. It was part of a kingdom known as Goa. Garp raised me in secret, so that his enemies could never find me. The villagers didn't even know I existed, barring the Mayor. As I got older, the forest seemed to shrink, and I felt the need to look for new territory. My wanderings inevitably led me to the capital city of Goa."

His face darkened considerably. "Goa Kingdom was my first look at the true face of the world."

"The 'true face of the world'?" Usopp asked?

Dragon nodded as he regarded Usopp, "Yes. I'm sure you've seen it on your travels across the Grand Line. The Sabaody Archipelago, for instance."

Usopp gulped and nodded his head sharply, eyes tightening at the thought of the last stop in Paradise before the New World. They all grimaced at the thought of the Celestial Dragons and the Human Auction.

"The capital of Goa was my first taste of it. Behind the walls, the capital was a beautiful place. The people were kind, the city beautiful. Everywhere you went, the people were upper-crust, affluent. It was a deception of a beautiful kind. No matter how hard you looked, you were hard pressed to find anybody cast out by society. No, people that didn't meet the standards of the city were shepherded outside the walls into what was called the Grey Terminal.

"The Grey Terminal was a literal trash dump for the capital of Goa. All of the trash of the city would be thrown over the walls into the surrounding area, the populace of the Grey Terminal forced to live off scraps they found in the trash heaps of the wealthy. Trash living among trash.

"I was twelve when I first made the trip to Goa, during one of my father's absences. I still remember the look on his face when I told him what I had seen. The disappointment in his eyes. I didn't recognize the resignation, however, until much later. _'Become strong enough, Dragon, and you can change it.'_ And so I got stronger. I was going to become a great marine and change the world so that there wouldn't be places like the Grey Terminal. Where undesirables weren't cast aside, where men and women and children wouldn't die because they couldn't feed themselves, where they didn't have to survive off the trash of other people."

Dragon reached towards the bottle of scotch in front of him, pausing to fill his glass. He studied the ice in the glass intently after topping it off. Lowly, almost a whisper, he said "I'll never forget the face of the first dead child I saw in the Grey Terminal."

They all stopped eating at the thought. Nami set down her own glass momentarily, not particular craving the sweet orange drink with the mention of the child. She turned and eyed Luffy, who would have been mistaken by an outsider as uncaring of the death of the child, having been the only one to continue eating. But Nami knew better.

It was the crinkle at the corners of his eyes and the hard glint in his pupils that gave him away. Such an existence ran antithetical to everything that made Luffy himself. The despair, the lack of freedom, to be so oppressed that the only thing you could eat came from the trash can of another person was so opposing to Luffy's nature that while the outsider may have mistaken him for aloof in the moment, Nami knew, and Zoro knew, and Robin knew, and Jinbe knew, and the rest of the crew knew that he was perhaps the most affected, the most furious by the thought. Hell, half of the reason Luffy wanted to bring down Kaido back in Wano was because he came across a precious little thing named Tama, who Nami had instantly grown attached to the moment they met, that was starving due to Kaido's oppressive reign over the samurai country.

"_Tama, don't be happy!"_ he had told her, _"I'll make this the norm for you! "I'll make sure by the time we leave this country, it'll be a place where you can eat 'til you're full everyday!"_ The look of radiant joy that Tama had in her eyes when she told Nami what Luffy had said to her could have lit up even the darkest of rooms.

Yes, Luffy would be particularly displeased, and Nami knew he must have seen similar things given that it was his home as well. Which is why she discreetly, slipped her hand under the table towards him and tapped his leg gently with a slight finger. He looked at her, noticing the concern in her eyes, and smoothly dropped his hand beneath table, softly brushing her finger with one of his.

Nami turned back to Dragon as he began to speak again, but saw Zoro and Robin both shoot her a subtle, knowing glance, obviously having seen the exchange. Jinbe gave a small smile as well, and Nami wondered if there was _anyone _on the ship that didn't suspect anything, or if they were just that obvious.

"Four years passed relatively quickly for me, given my constant training and trips to the Grey Terminal. I had decided that I would do my best to help the so-called _undesirables_ outside the walls of the capital by stealing food from the upper-crust within the city and deliver it to the at-risk citizens without. I developed a bit of a reputation among the capital, they called me a ghost and said the city was haunted. No one, within the walls or without, ever knew who I was.

"When I was sixteen, Garp started to take me out on marine voyages, small ones at first, then longer ones later. It was completely against the rules, mind you, but nobody ever accused anyone in our family of being adherent to rules," he said, shooting a sly look which drew grins from everyone at the table. They all knew, and experienced first-hand, that there wasn't a rule that their rubber-headed leader met that he didn't break.

"Everything changed when I was seventeen, though," Dragon said, his mood suddenly turning darker. "Garp took me on another voyage with his crew. This time to the Holy Land, Mariejois."

Dragon picked up his glass and tipped the remaining half into his mouth. He immediately reached forward and grabbed the bottle of scotch and refilled his cup again. When he placed the bottle back on the table with a dull thud, he stared at it contemplatively.

"And what did you find in Mariejois, Dragon-san?" Nami asked.

He turned to her and gave her a long, thoughtful look. Not a piercing stare he had given her earlier, not the teasing insinuating glance he shot her way as he noticed whatever it was between her and Luffy, but a look that gave her the impression he was searching for what to say.

After a long moment, he said simply, "Hell masquerading as heaven."

He drew a deep breath before continuing. "On the way there, Garp drew me aside, away from all the marines on deck. It was perhaps the most serious I had ever seen him. I remember clearly the look on his face as he told me, _'Dragon, no matter what you see, you must promise me not to do anything reckless. Do not engage the Celestial Dragons, no matter what you see. Promise me!'_. I swore to him I would, ignorant of who they were and what they did. I had no idea…" he trailed off.

"Mariejois is hell on earth. It was then and it is now," Dragon stated, a hard, flinty look coloring his eyes. The anger started to seep into his voice. "I was uncomfortable when I got there, I noticed my father was, too. How could one not be, when treated to the sight of people with chains around their necks and being ridden around like horses by monsters that have bubbles around their damn heads because they don't even think that they should be breathing the same air as the rest of us!"

His lips were twisted into a tight frown, a look that had the crew turning to Luffy to check it against _his_ face, as it was certainly a look that he had inherited from Dragon. And glancing at Luffy, Zoro was not surprised to see that look mirrored on Luffy, though distorted by the food stuffed into the cheeks of his captain. He almost chuckled despite himself, with how ridiculous Luffy looked with cheeks the size of bowling balls.

"There was a girl, though," Dragon continued, "that broke me. She was young, no more than six years old." He glanced at Chopper and nodded at the reindeer, "she might have stood only a head taller then you."

Chopper shifted uneasily, grimacing at the thought of an innocent child being subject to the cruelty of Celestial Dragons.

"'_Follow the rules'_, my father said before we got there. So I did. When they would pass by, we'd stand to the side of the road with our heads down to not make eye contact. But I could only hold back for so long. We arrived in the morning, by midday it became a struggle to control myself. How could such a monstrosity be permissible, and sanctioned by the government no less?"

Dragon sighed and shook his head, his mane of wild hair shifting to and fro with the motion of his head. "He should not have taken me there," he said lowly. "The girl was my undoing. Shortly after noon, we moved to the side for yet another display of cruelty, yet another ridiculous act of submission and appeasement to those who are only our betters by name, nothing more. But there was a little girl, so _small_. She couldn't have been more than six years old. And she was a slave, a pack mule for these disgusting creatures. On her back rested a pack many times her size, and she struggled to move under the weight of it. The Celestial Dragon perched atop his human mount berated her endlessly, calling her disgusting names and saying how worthless she was."

"Her steps got slower with each passing moment. The pack was far too much for her. One second between steps became two, became three, became four before she finally collapsed from exhaustion. The Celestial Dragon dismounted, and strode to her, cursing. The first thing he did when he got to her was aim a vicious kick to her side. Again and again he kicked her, and she winced and shuddered but made not a sound. She coughed blood and I started forward, stilled only by my father's hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at him and he shook his head. He had a look in his eye that I never imagined I would see, not from him. It was beneath the anger, the hatred of what was happening. _Helplessness. Resignation._

"When I turned back, the little girl looked at me, and we stared at each other for a long moment. And she shook her head at me. _Do nothing,_ she was telling me. I've been up and down the Grand Line during my life and have witnessed few things as brave as what that little girl did in that moment. For a child-slave to be in the midst of unbearable cruelty and turn to me, someone who had the freedom little girl did not, to warn me away from doing anything rash and ending up like her…

"She slowly hefted herself up, the pack still on her back, all the while enduring a deluge of insults from the Celestial Dragon. I guess he was done with her though, because the next moment, he drew a gun and shot her in the forehead. Just like that."

The fate of the girl had a chilling effect on an already dour mood, given the particular avenue the conversation had taken. Usopp and Chopper gasped in horror, while Frank crossed his arms. Brook uttered a soft "Oh dear," before playing with a handkerchief he drew from his pocket. Sanji lit another cigarette and took a long drag. Robin and Jinbe remained stoic, while Zoro scowled.

Nami, for her part, brought a hand up to cover her mouth and fought back tears. She felt a hand tap her right hand, still on her lap underneath the table, and she gratefully wrapped hers tightly around it. She turned and gave Luffy a rather watery smile of thanks. Warmth blossomed in her chest as she saw Luffy's inquisitive, concerned gaze.

_He tends to keep an eye on you, or something to that effect._ Robin's words from earlier in the day echoed in Nami's mind.

"I lost control of myself when I saw what happened to her," Dragon's voice sounded softly, drawing both her attention and Luffy's back to him. "The next moments were a haze. Somewhere somebody yelled, and mostly everyone in the vicinity collapsed, knocked out cold. It was only later that I realized that the voice I heard was mine, and that I had used Conqueror's Haki.

"Garp was quick to act. Before anyone knew the wiser, he had taken us all the way to the edge of the city. '_What have you done?_' he said. '_What did I tell you, you fool?!_' And I only felt betrayal. The man that I had looked up to for so long, the man who personified justice enough to wear it on his back had stood and watched while that little girl died. The marine _hero_."

Dragon suddenly looked tired, his face tightened into a small frown. "I was so young then. I said many things in an outburst of resentment, things that he didn't deserve. We were yelling in one moment, fighting the next. I just had such _hatred _in that moment, hatred of him, hatred of the Navy and the Government, and most prominently, hatred of myself."

He reached for his cup and twirled it in a small circle, watching the golden liquid swirl on the inside for a moment before taking a sip. "I fled," he said, putting his glass back down on the table. "My dream was broken. I couldn't bring myself to become a marine following that display. How could I? How could I defend a government that turns a blind eye to _that_. So, I fled. I stole a boat and left that horrid city behind. In Mariejois I left my dream and my father, and I never turned back. It was the last I saw of my father for a very long time."

"What did you do next?" Jinbe asked in his deep timbre. "That was a time of great movement. Roger, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, and others were stepping up to claim the era. What did you seek to accomplish?"

Dragon turned to Jinbe and said simply, "Answers." He tilted is head back and looked at the ceiling. "I lost my way after that incident, I wanted nothing to do with everything I had wanted to be. So I wandered the world. Over the next fifteen years I traveled from place to place, to understand. I cultivated relationships all over, learned of different cultures and territories, helping innocent citizens defend against errant pirate attacks, corrupt officials, and the like. But remained careful to not make a name for myself. While the world raged with the new era of pirates, I was careful to keep myself in the shadows. Even the people I had interacted with thought of me as only a ghost, a habit that held over from my childhood.

"It wasn't until the fifteenth year since the incident on Mariejois that I decided to act."

"After all those years abroad, what was it that finally made you want to form the Revolutionary Army?" Franky asked. "I thought that the death of the girl made you desire to break away from the Government."

"You're right, in a sense," Dragon said, turning towards Franky. "The death of the girl forced me to consider the actual order of the world. Because of her, I traveled the seas to understand how the world worked. But the event that led me to act was the capture and subsequent execution of Gol D. Roger."

"The Pirate King?" Usopp asked. "Why would the death of the most famous criminal cause you to move to overthrow the government? The creation of a new government based on the death of a pirate seems a bit odd."

"I didn't know Roger, so there wasn't much of a personal reason for me to take interest in his capture or death. But what drew me was the suddenness of it. Roger had been on the run for decades, eluding capture at every opportunity. The only person in the Navy that could stand against him, besides maybe Sengoku, was my father, and I always felt that my father never really put much heart in the actual act of capturing Roger." Dragon tilted his head slightly to the side, squinting in thought. "They were rivals, certainly, but they most definitely considered each other friends, or at the very least held a deep amount of respect for each other."

Dragon turned to look at Usopp again. "Consider how it looked. Roger, who the Navy could never get their hands on, was captured by someone other than Garp, and was captured _alone_? Not a single member of his crew was also apprehended to be executed? No. After thought, I came to the conclusion that Roger was not captured, but turned himself in. I learned later that my guess was true, and I'm guessing that Rayleigh told you as much when you met him?"

"Ah," Luffy said, his first time speaking since the start of Dragon's story. "You know Rayleigh?"

Food sprayed from his mouth and Zoro scowled. He leaned forward and clamped a strong hand over Luffy's mouth, squeezing his lips tightly together. "Swallow your damned food before you talk!" he growled.

Dragon laughed his rough laugh. "No, I don't know Rayleigh," he said. "But I'd like to meet him. I have to thank him after all, for saving my son and his friends."

Nami's disgusted frown at Luffy's inability to show and semblance of manners flipped into a bright smile, a look mirrored by the rest of the crew as they all turned back to Dragon.

"So your suspicion of the government led you to attending Roger's execution?" Brook asked.

"Yes. The thought of the most feared man on the planet simply turning himself in to people that he knew were going to kill him made me curious. I had hoped to see something of a reason when I saw him. Perhaps he had seen all there was to see in the word and chose to end it, knowing that it couldn't change. Perhaps he was bored of life. I couldn't be sure at the time, but I was certain that being _there_ was important. And I was right.

"I'll never forget the sight. The experience was the second of three that completely changed my life. The crowd was massive. People from all over the world stood in the plaza to witness the death of the Pirate King."

"Now that I think about it, I've always heard stories about how a fierce storm blew over Loguetown that day," Jinbe said slowly.

Dragon merely shot him a sly, conspiratorial look and continued without confirmation, "It was what he said that struck me, with a smile on his face as he slowly died. I'll never forget it. _'You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place. Now you'll just have to find it!'" _

Dragon punctuated Roger's words with a rough laugh, eliciting a grin from the crew. A collective shiver of excitement seemed to trail down their spines upon hearing the very words that started a new era, _their _era. Nami turned to Luffy to see he wore an almost feral grin, a grin that was matched by his father when the latter stopped laughing.

"I never had much love for pirates, but in that moment I admired Roger. It was an absolute slap in the face to the government and the Navy. His death was supposed to show the power of the World Government and be an ultimate warning for pirates all over the world. _'Stay in line,'_ was the message. '_Stay in line, or get in line if you're not already.'_ But Roger, on his deathbed provided many people with the courage to dream and the will to challenge those who would take their dreams from them."

A gleam seemed to radiate from Dragon's eyes as he spoke, prompting another chill of familiarity to slip down the spines of the crew. So _very _much like their captain that it had them looking at Luffy out of the corner of their eyes for they had seen it _so_ many times. It spoke of adventure and danger and dreams and _freedom_. Nami shivered slightly.

"I never gave a rat's ass about the One Piece. It was the idea, the _freedom_ Roger offered in his last moments. And it occurred to me, as his body finally stilled, that many of the people in the plaza would rush off to chase their wildest dreams, and that was _exactly _what Roger intended. And I thought to myself, why should not everyone have that freedom? Why should innocent people live under a government that endorses corrupt rulers and oppressive tyranny in its member countries? Why should innocent people live under a government that turns a blind eye to slavery? Why should innocent people live under a government that terrorizes anyone whom it deems different? Why should innocent people live under a government that restricts their ability to live freely? There are so many people in this world that don't have freedom, that live in fear, poverty, oppression, that don't even have the _right_ to dream…

"I walked into Loguetown searching for an answer and walked out of Loguetown having found it. After fifteen years of searching, with Roger's dying breath I decided that I would overthrow the World Government and establish a new governing body, one that wouldn't trample over the basic freedoms every person the world over is allowed by right of life to enjoy. I would start a _revolution_."

Dragon leaned forward on his elbows and his voice dropped low, almost a whisper. "I know you feel it, Luffy." Luffy tilted his head to the side in confusion, his grin slipping slightly. "That burning sensation when faced with a new adventure, the tingle down your spine that comes with being free. _Truly_ free. You _need _it."

Luffy made a small noise and nodded, his grin returning. Nami found herself grinning with him.

Dragon smiled too, fierce like his son, "I knew you would. It's in our blood. I can't explain it, perhaps it has something to do with our lineage, bearing D. in our names…" he trailed off.

"So how long did it take you to form the Revolution after you left? It seems like it would take quite a while to put such a large, ambitious operation together," Brook asked.

"It would have, but I had already laid some of the groundwork during the years I traveled the world. My exploits gained allies, allies that were dissatisfied with the current state of affairs in their homeland. After I left Loguetown, I began to contact those who I had met during my journey, who I knew wanted a change. Within six months, the foundation of the Revolutionary Army was complete. Within one year, we were responsible for the fall of a dozen countries worldwide and my bounty rivaled that of veteran criminals in the New World. After two years, I was declared the World's Most Wanted Criminal."

"After only two years?" Chopper exclaimed.

"The Government doesn't like to be challenged, as you well know. Look at what happened to your bounties after the events on Enies Lobby. On a larger scale, look at what you've managed to accomplish in total! If you take out the two years your crew was inactive, then you've only been a threat for a little over a year. Look at how high your bounties are. Time is irrelevant."

"They probably took extra caution knowing that you were Garp's son," Robin said, to which Dragon nodded.

"Indeed. They feared both my movement and my strength. And they were right to, if I may say so myself," he said, a small bit smug at the end.

They crew shared a look and smiled, an acknowledgement that self-confidence was certainly a trait within the Monkey D. family. Nami stifled the urge to chuckle as Dragon continued.

"And then two and a half years after Roger's death, two and a half years after I started my secret war against the World Government," he said softly, tilting his head back and looking towards the ceiling, "I met a woman on a small, war-torn island on the grand line."

He paused for a wistful moment, lost in the memory. Dragon's head tilted downward and tipped small amount of scotch into his mouth, exhaling deeply after he swallowed. He looked to the rest of the table again and continued, just as softly, "There's a saying back east, that 'love is a hurricane'. I never believed it to be true, and I know for a fact now that it's utter bullshit."

"Love is most certainly not a hurricane. I've seen and experienced hurricanes, created one or two as well," he grinned cheekily, eliciting smirks from the rest of the table. "If I had to make a comparison," he said to everyone, though there was a distinct feeling he was talking to Luffy directly, "I would say that love is a wildfire. It hits you suddenly, and without warning. It engulfs you in a raging inferno, leaves you smoldering in heat on the inside, burns you if you're not careful, comforts you when you're cold, lights your world when it's dark…"

Another pause, another faraway look, somewhere way off into the distance, beyond the walls of the ship. "I was…utterly unprepared for her. And I've been the type of man to be prepared for anything, mind you. It's a necessity for my occupation, my goals. I never thought love would play into my life, it couldn't, not for what I was doing.

"By the time we turned her island away from the influence of the World Government, she had completely and utterly ravaged the barriers behind which I hid. A touch would set my skin on fire, a kiss my heart and soul.

"She was beautiful, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She was fierce and brave, kind and caring. She was strong. She had a temper like the devil, and a wrath of an angry ocean. She was gentle when I failed, stern when I was wrong. She scolded me when I needed to be scolded, challenged me when I needed to be challenged. She picked me up when I stumbled, whispered encouragement in my ear when I had need of it." He smiled again, a true smile, and the crew smiled with him. They all snuck a glance at Luffy, having figured out exactly who this woman was.

Nami rolled her eyes when she took a peek at Luffy, his face blank, completely locked in on stuffing one piece of meat into his mouth after another. _Of course_, she thought, though she knew he was listening.

"Our relationship was secret, nobody knew but us. It had to be that way, for the government would have hunted her down merely to hurt me. But on the inside, I wanted nothing more than everyone from the earth to the heavens to know about her. We met when we could, in between missions and when our duties allowed. She was an excellent revolutionary, too. This is how it was for a year and a half after meeting.

"And then one day, after I successfully flipped another country in our favor, she sent me an urgent message through a long series of back channels and contacts that we had developed so nobody could make a connection between us. It was a message that only I could know the meaning of. She wanted, needed to meet with me as soon as possible. I raced to meet her as fast as I could, I feared the worst, that her cover had been blown and that the World Government knew her identity and relationship with me.

"I arrived on a stormy night, a hurricane buffeting the small island she was hiding on. I found her house, a small, cliff-side building on the outskirts of town with a beautiful view of the sea. Easily missed. I knocked on her door and it swung open. She pulled me inside and kissed me like it was the last time we'd ever be able to. I asked her what was wrong."

Dragon leaned forward and stared at Luffy intently, enough to make Luffy pause and stare back at him. He rested his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. "'_Dragon_,' she said. And she was afraid. And then she spoke to me two words that turned my world upside down."

He smile widely and said, "'_Dragon, I'm pregnant.' _I was rendered speechless for a long stretch, I think I had frightened her. _Fatherhood._ I had never even considered the notion. To think that one day I could be a _father_. It was a humbling thought, that I could have contributed to bringing a life into this world. It wasn't a planned event by any stretch, but life follows no rules but its own. And I couldn't have been happier than I was than in that moment. Your mother changed my life, Luffy, and then you changed it again…"

He fell into an easy silence, regarding Luffy with a most tender smile. Nami studied him as he gazed at his son, fully able to tell just how much he loved Luffy. It was his eyes, Nami thought. Luffy lived with his heart on his sleeve, he flew through emotions like he flew through his food, but at any given time it was Luffy's eyes that were the most expressive part about him. His eyes gave everything away. He absolutely inherited his eyes from his father, Nami determined yet again.

"The next months were a whirlwind…they were hard, especially on your mother. We were wanted criminals, no one in the world more wanted than I. I arranged for her to be moved across islands in secret, we'd meet on each island at night, together only briefly. We never left together for fear that the World Government would catch up. We were never together in daylight for the same reason. This is how the next seven and a half months went. I would travel to an island and wait for her to join me at night. She would travel to an island and wait for me to return to her. All the while handling business for the Revolutionary Army. She was quite the officer, one of my most trusted.

"As she got bigger," Dragon said, before squinting in thought and then turning to Luffy again, "as _you _got bigger, it became much harder to move. A pregnant woman traveling the world alone would arouse suspicion, questions would be asked. We decided that we would find a place to wait for you to arrive, one where it would be safe to stop. We found a small island with a bustling port on one end, but a large, secluded forest on the other. We made our temporary home at the edge of the forest, on a cliff overlooking the sea. She was adamant that we be near the sea.

"And in a fashion much like our family, you decided that you would come into this world on your own terms. You were a troublemaker before you were born," he said with a grin, eliciting grins and chuckles from the others at the table, "and decided that you would born a week early. A storm raged the entire day you were born. Your mother went into labor around midday and it lasted deep into the night. There was no doctor, I had taken it upon myself to learn the proper medical procedures. We couldn't risk it, nobody could know of your existence. I gave her medicines to ease the pain as best I could, but you were a feisty thing…"

His tone grew soft, "And then just after midnight, after a long and fierce struggle, your mother gave birth to you. And I held you in my arms for the first time. You were the tiniest thing, and quiet too. It didn't take us much to calm you…I'll never forget that night. I'll never forget the feel of you in my hands for the first time. I'll never forget the first time we made eye contact. I'll never forget how beautiful your mother looked that night when she held you for the first time, or when she fed you for the first time. Despite how tired she was, the sweat and the tears, she was an absolute vision, and she gave me a family. It was, simply, the greatest experience of my life, and my most treasured memory."

The silence that followed, filled with only smiles and grins all directed at Luffy, was broken only by the sobs from Franky, who was rambling on about how great a man Dragon was, how great a woman Luffy's mother was, and how he wasn't crying. Chopper, Brook, and Usopp laughed at the shipwright's antics and Nami rolled her eyes at his exaggerated crying. Zoro thumped Luffy on his back, pleased that even before birth Luffy was headstrong, and Robin giggled at the display. Jinbe grinned while Sanji scowled and tried to avoid the spray of Franky's tears.

And then the mood shifted suddenly, seriously, when Dragon asked "Luffy…do you know why it is that your brother was killed?"

Luffy's gaze sharply shifted to his father, a frown forming on his face.

"Hey, what kind of question is that?" Sanji asked.

"An important one," Dragon answered, not looking at the cook. Nami, staring hard at Dragon, squeezed the hand that she still held in her lap.

"Because he was a pirate," Luffy answered, simply.

"No," Dragon answered back immediately. Usopp opened his mouth to respond, but Dragon cut him off before he could speak. "Ace was killed because he was Roger's son."

"Well, yeah, but Ace was also-" Chopper started, only to be interrupted by Dragon.

"I didn't know Ace personally. I'm sure that he was a remarkable human being. He was strong, too. There was no doubt about that. But they didn't mark him for death for any other reason than he was Roger's son. Remember, they knew that executing Ace would cause a war with Whitebeard, one of the Emperors of the Sea. The Navy had never moved against one of the four in such a way, especially because the Emperors are widely seen as stronger even then the Admirals. Even the balance of power supports that; three Admirals and seven Warlords to combat four Emperors. And yet, they chose to execute a pirate in a move that would not only cause a war with an Emperor, but the one with reputation for being the World's Strongest Man? Ask yourselves, if Ace had been just another pirate, would the Navy had chosen to execute him knowing it would provoke a conflict with Whitebeard?"

"If I remember correctly," Franky started uneasily, "didn't Fleet Admiral Sengoku mention something about a search for Roger's potential child? The newspapers detailed it…"

"He did," Dragon confirmed. "His statement was the first time anyone in the World Government ever acknowledged such an occurrence. I learned about it while forming the Revolution following Roger's death. Of course, it would only have been brought up at the ultimate symbol of the Government's victory over Roger; at the execution of his son. Never did they mention beforehand that they had searched and _failed_, nor did they mention it while he was under care of Garp. Notice also what Sengoku _didn't_ say."

"'What Sengoku didn't say?'" Robin asked.

"Yes. What Sengoku didn't say. Like what happened to the women and newborns that were close enough to the timeline they had created regarding the potential birth of Roger's child. The ones for which they were unable to determine the father of the child."

"What happened to them?" Zoro asked gruffly.

"They were killed."

A stunned silence overtook the dining room as the crew gaped at Dragon. Even Robin, typically stoic, was put off.

"They were killed?" Jinbe asked. "The World Government murdered innocent women and children? Newborns, no less?"

"Yes," Dragon replied. "Is it that unbelievable? This is the organization that wiped an entire island of scholars off the map and pursued an eight-year-old girl the world over because they feared her knowledge." The crew shifted uncomfortably as attention was focused on Robin for a moment.

"But Sengoku-" Jinbe started.

"Sengoku is many things, and an evil man is not one of them. He didn't know," Dragon interrupted, drawing an incredulous look from the helmsman. "This was a World Government operation. Those at the top of the Navy, like Sengoku and my father, were only made aware of the hunt. They were assured that no harm would come innocent parties but were never given details of the hunt itself."

"And how do you know that?" Nami asked, unconscious of how tightly she was gripping Luffy's hand.

"Because I was told."

"By who?" Nami replied.

"By my father."

"But Dragon-san," Brook questioned, confused. "I thought you said you lost contact with your father following the events at Mariejois?"

"I did," Dragon said, eyes drifting back towards Luffy. "But the birth of my child changed things."

Sanji stood abruptly and headed to the kitchen, returning a moment later with fresh drinks for everyone at the table. He topped off Dragon's glass with more scotch.

"Thank you," Dragon said, earning a nod from Sanji. "When I learned _she_ was pregnant, I knew what it meant immediately. We both did. While forming the Revolutionary Army, some of the people I sought out were those who had once been affiliated with the World Government and had become disenchanted with the organization, based on either the people they had met within or the actions undertaken by the government. Former government agents were welcome, as they often had important intelligence regarding the World Government and were familiar with how the government operated. One of these people I recruited early on was familiar with the government's actions during the search for Rouge and Ace, and left the organization in the aftermath. He told me the details of the hunt, including what had happened to those who came under even the smallest of suspicion."

"The upper echelon of the World Government feared Roger tremendously for two reasons. The first was simple; he had defied the world. He conquered the Grand Line and made it to Raftel. They knew he was incredibly strong, as only the strongest in the world could accomplish such a feat. The second reason was because of his name."

"His name?" Brook asked.

"Yes, his name. Gol D. Roger. _D._ The World Government is extremely wary of those that carry the name D., and before them had risen a D. powerful enough to conquer the ocean, one that opposed the reign of the World Government."

"A man of great power bearing the name D., who opposed the reign of the World Government," Robin said sotto voce.

"I knew what it meant immediately," Dragon replied, just as quietly.

Dragon was pensive for a quiet few moments before turning towards Luffy again. "I knew, and your mother knew, that your birth could very well be your death. I had never imagined that during my travels I would meet a woman like your mother. I had never imagined that I would fall in love with her and I had never imagined that I could become a father. But by that time I had already made an enemy of the world. I knew that the World Government would hunt you down like they tried to do with Ace if they were made aware of your existence, simply to get to me. I knew that as long as you were associated with me in any way, that your life was in danger. I knew that because of our actions, we could never raise you. I knew and your mother knew.

"We made that determination shortly after discovering her pregnancy. Each day, week, month was torture. The exhilaration of creeping closer to welcoming you to this world raged against the despair of knowing we would have to separate from you. We agreed on a day. Just one day. One day to pretend that I was not Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, the most wanted man in the world and one day to pretend that she was not an officer in my organization. Just one day to pretend that I was a man in love with a woman, and she was a woman in love with a man, and that we were eagerly awaiting the birth of our child. Just one day to pretend we were a normal family."

Dragon laughed suddenly, startling everyone with his stark change in demeanor. The smile that flitted across his face was lazy, soft, and though he was looking directly at Luffy, he was lost in a distant memory. "You were strong, even then. You bested us quite easily. You were so tiny, no bigger than my hands," he said, lifting his hands palms upturned to illustrate. "You cried fiercely, you were loud, boisterous, if we had been in a populated area no doubt the entire world would have known you were born."

"Sounds about right," Nami said slyly, eyeing Luffy out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey!" Luffy declared in protest, prompting laughter from the table.

"A family trait to be sure," Dragon agreed with a grin. "You were the center of our universe. We had for so long prepared for letting you go, and you completely turned our preparation upside down. One day turned to two, and two turned to three. I realized then as I held you in my arms that you and her were everything I had ever wanted."

"But," Dragon's brow furrowed as he frowned, "every day we set slip by was a day our enemies could have learned of your existence. So on the third afternoon after much sadness and tears and anger we agreed. On the third night your mother said goodbye to you, and I swallowed my pride and pain and took you away to the one place that I had never thought I would return to. A short few days later, with you bundled in the warmest blankets we had, I arrived on the outskirts of Foosha Village.

"I was fortunate, I guess. Or maybe it was a cruel irony of life," Dragon said wryly. "The night we arrived, there was a marine ship docked in the harbor, and from the sky I could see a figure walking out of the village into the neighboring forest. I watched it disappear and stared after it for what felt like an eternity before I followed. And for the first time in more than fifteen years, I stood before my father again."

Dragon lapsed into silence as he thought.

"It must have been hard," Sanji said quietly, all too familiar with unexpected circumstances resulting in family reunions.

"I'm still not sure," Dragon answered back. "It had been so long…the moment I saw him, old hurts started to rise, things I had said and done, things he _hadn't_ done. But he looked _older_. His hair was completely gray now, he had wrinkles and lines on his face that weren't there before and I realized just how long it had been since I had last seen him. It's one thing, an easy thing, to simply say it had been fifteen years but another to look at the man in front of me and realize that it had been so long that I couldn't easily picture his face and that standing in front of me he looked radically different than what I had remembered.

"We stood in silence and simply stared at each other. His face was unreadable to me. He made to say something, but before he could I held out my arms and he saw you for the first time. He hadn't noticed you yet, and the look on his face…" he trailed off for a moment, his eyes squinting slightly. "Garp is many things, but he loves his family fiercely. He loved you completely and utterly the moment he laid eyes on you."

Nami looked at Luffy's face and found a rather blank mask, she could glean no information from his expression. It struck Nami at that moment that she had neglected to ever ask Luffy how he felt about Garp, as his grandfather was _there_ when Ace died in front of Luffy. She suddenly felt grateful towards his father, that perhaps on some level he might have guessed Luffy could feel hurt or perhaps abandoned by his grandfather when he thought of that moment, and that Dragon knew and recognized it through his own experience.

Her thumb traced a soft circle on the back of his hoping in vain that he didn't suffer still, knowing fully that he did.

"I thought you were small in my arms, but you were completely dwarfed in his. He was absolutely consumed by you, and spent several minutes just watching you. Our conversation was brief. I told him my concerns and he confirmed two things to me: that Roger turned himself in to be executed as he was dying and told me the fate of those women and children unlucky enough to fall under government suspicion during the hunt. He only found out after the fact what had happened to them.

"My logic was simple. It was my hope that Garp's reputation would protect you. That his reputation as the legendary Marine hero would be enough to counter my sins and keep the government away from you if they ever found out, and that his strength, which rivaled that of the Pirate King, would protect you from potential enemies. I never knew of Ace's existence, but it seems that Roger thought similarly to me.

Luffy's father took a deep breath and leaned back, breaking eye contact with Luffy to look up at the ceiling. "Turning away from you then was, and still is, the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. _'Luffy,'_ I whispered, answering an unasked question, _'His name is Monkey D. Luffy.'_ As I made to leave, my father called out to me quietly, to not wake you. '_Dragon_,' he said, '_I'm proud of you.'_ And then I was gone into the night."

His eyes drifted downward to his son, a solemn look setting on his face. "Luffy, I came here today to finally meet you." His hands untangled from each other and pressed against the varnished wood of the table, palms down.

"To meet you, to tell you my story, and to apologize to you," he continued, bowing his head to Luffy. "I'm sorry, Luffy, that my actions left you without a father and a mother, that we couldn't raise you and be a family. I'm sorry for all the nights you may have felt lonely. I'm sorry for the missed birthdays, the achievements that were never congratulated, the missed comfort when you needed it. For all of it, I'm sorry."

A hush fell over the table, the only noise coming from the soft creaking of the wood as the ship rocked gently with the sway of the ocean. Surprise adorned the faces of the occupants of the dining room at Dragon's display, all with varying degrees of raised eyebrows and slack jaws. The only one who didn't was Luffy himself, who had paused mid-bite and cocked his head slightly in confusion. All heads turned slowly towards him and he blinked once before swallowing his (considerable) mouthful audibly, still regarding the bowing form of his father.

The silence was broken when Luffy laughed. "Ah, it's fine. It was fun."

Dragon lifted his head slowly to stare at his son's smiling face. His eyes bore into Luffy's for a moment, before his mouth too stretched a smile that matched his son's.

"Wait, that's it?" Usopp asked.

"Yep," Luffy answered back with no hesitation before downing another massive slab of meat. As if feeling her concerned stare on him, Luffy gently squeezed Nami's hand under the table. She sighed and shook her head, knowing that somehow the two had come to some sort of silent understanding in the moment they locked eyes after Dragon's apology. And Nami knew that out of anyone's, it was Luffy's heart that had the most room for forgiveness. She knew that _very _well.

"Are you really surprised?" Zoro asked Usopp. "The entire family is nuts."

_There's that too, _Nami thought to herself, shaking her head again when both Dragon and Luffy broke out into boisterous laughter, perhaps in proud acceptance of the oddity of their family.

The table broke down into chatter about this and that regarding how whether it was Garp or Dragon or Luffy, that they were simply strange and beyond explanation. Luffy basked in it, of course, while Dragon was much more reserved, though the smug grin didn't leave his face as the crew debated which one might have been the oddest.

"Say, Dragon-san," Nami interrupted politely. "back in Loguetown…how did you know where to find us? And why not say anything to Luffy then?"

Dragon regarded her for a moment, before shuffling somewhat nervously in his seat. "My intelligence network passes me information on all sorts of people from every corner of the world, including pirates. Typically, this information is used to recruit members to our cause or eliminate threats to us. I was handed Luffy's first bounty poster among a collection of other news from the East Blue."

He scowled suddenly, "I also got a call from my father. After I handed Luffy over towards him he asked for a way to contact me just in case of an emergency. The only time he ever used it was shortly after the formation of your crew, raging at me for his _'idiot pirate of a grandson'_. He was extremely proud of you though, _'as expected of my grandson'_ were his exact words when laughing about your exploits."

"That guy," Zoro muttered, shaking his head. It was a sentiment shared by the others that had actually met the man, who was just as exhausting as his grandson. Still, they couldn't help but feel a bit smug at how despite being a Marine and his grandson a pirate, the man was genuinely happy with Luffy's accomplishments.

"Loguetown was just a guess though," Dragon said, continuing where he left off. "I figured you'd need to stock up on supplies before entering the Grand Line. I really just intended on finding you guys and watching you leave without causing a stir, but I wasn't about to let Buggy and Smoker ruin your trip. As for why I didn't say anything, I didn't want to make you kids targets for people much stronger. I didn't think it was fair until you were all strong enough to handle yourselves."

Nami nodded, satisfied with his answer.

Robin cleared her throat lightly, asking, "Dragon-san, if I may…you mentioned your issues with your father and how you lost contact after the incident at Mariejois, but what do you feel of him now?"

Dragon sighed, suddenly seeming tired. He leaned back in his chair again and tilted his head upwards again, collecting his thoughts. "That's a good question," he said after a moment, returning his gaze down to meet Robin's eyes. "I spent a long time thinking about it, about him and me and our respective places in the world.

"Looking back, my position on it has evolved a great deal. I was confused and hurt, I felt betrayed. It turned to anger and hate, of him and the world, and over the long time that I was away it changed again, perhaps even against my will, as I saw the world and how it treated those stuck in the middle of conflict. And then I met _her_ and we brought a child into this world, and it all happened so fast…"

He voice faded and Robin waited patiently for him to continue.

"I think I understand now," he said sagely. "It took me a long time, but I think I can understand the position he was in and what he was trying to do. Garp is a good man. He's _eccentric_ to put it nicely," he grinned at Luffy, causing the latter to shiver and scowl.

"Ah, yes. I'm also familiar with the legendary '_Fist of Love'_," he said with a laugh, recognizing Luffy's unease. "But he is a good man. I think that early on, Garp believed that he could achieve all of his goals through sheer strength, of both will and body. And to an extent, he was correct. He became a legend in the Navy because of it. But I think that at some point he saw the sheer scale of the world and changed his methods."

Dragon leaned forward on his elbows again, motioning with his hands, "It was something I experienced, too. At one point, I thought to cast down the entire World Government, burn it to the ground and just start over. But I met people, many people on all sides of all different conflicts. I saw World Government officials do their best to do the right thing and help people. There are genuinely good and kind people in the World Government and in the Navy, despite the organization itself. What would happen to them if I callously destroyed the entire thing? That question is why my focus changed from simply warring against the government to declaring war on the Celestial Dragons. By deposing them, I can remove the root of the issue and then proceed to fix the rest of the problems within the organization.

"At some point, my father must have come to a conclusion like this as well. He used to tell me _Become strong enough, Dragon, and you can change it.'_ – This affirms both points, that at one point he believed he could solve the issue with his own strength, and that he later acknowledged that it was much too big an issue for him alone and looked to pass it on to me."

A prideful grin stretched his lips, "I don't think he ever gave up though. It's not a trait easily found in our family, after all, and certainly not something Garp would ever consider." He paused as Luffy blinked and before allowing a smug smile to grace his face. Nami rolled her eyes at him, and saw Zoro shake his head. He muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "pain in my ass," and Robin responded by leveling a frosty look at him. Zoro shifted uneasily and returned his gaze to Luffy's father. Robin caught Nami's eye before her attention turned back to Dragon and winked. Nami smiled in return.

"If you examine the Navy," Dragon continued, "you'll find that it's quite a bit divided in ideology. Part of this is my father's doing."

"How is it divided in ideology? And why would Garp, one of the most respected Marines in history, want that?" Franky asked.

"It's divided over the definition of justice. The word means something different depending on the person describing it, and the same holds true for the Navy. For example, take the three Admirals from before the Navy restructured: Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru. Akainu is a hardliner that is strict with justice, eradicating everything that threatens the word without hesitation and thinks that nothing is more important. He is unforgiving, arrogant, and cruel, and his methods reflect this."

Zoro glanced out of the corner of his eye towards his captain and found Luffy's face blank, the only sign of agitation coming from the slight crinkles at the corners of his eyes. He considered saying something but was stopped short on behalf of a curious sensation emanating from across the table. He discreetly stole a glance at their navigator and found that while she was looking at Luffy's father, she could not hide her hands despite their position underneath the table out of immediate view. Not from someone able to use haki, anyway.

He allowed himself a small mental smirk, returning his attention to Dragon while doing so, comfortable with his assessment that he wasn't needed.

"Aokiji was the absolute opposite in ideology based on the reports of people that were familiar with his time in the Navy, as well as his own actions. Where Akainu has the reputation of strict, brutal adherence to justice, Aokiji is far more flexible and forgiving. Their difference in ideology is what led Aokiji to challenge Akainu to a duel for the position of Fleet Admiral. Kizaru's ideology rests somewhere in between, though he leans more towards Akainu's methodology.

"Aokiji's philosophy is a direct result of my father's influence. At the point I referenced during his career in which he realized that he wasn't having the direct impact he desired, Garp decided to use his influence younger generations of marines. Aokiji was one of those marines. Other notable marines that follow the Moral Justice that my father championed are those like Vice Admiral Smoker, Rear Admiral Hina, Captain Coby, and others. Admiral Fujitora, despite only joining the Marines recently through the World Military Draft, seems to have adopted the same ideals. Garp has reached many, and long after he's gone, his legacy will surely carry forward.

"To answer your other question, Franky, Garp wants it because he wants what's right. This got him into a bit of trouble when he was younger, as Garp had a notorious disdain for the Celestial Dragons. They took notice and wanted the government to punish him for it, but then the God Valley incident occurred and it quelled any opposition to his presence in the Marines. That, and his later battles with Roger, cemented his place in the Navy."

Dragon eyes tightened suddenly and he sighed. "That's a rather long, disjointed answer to your question, but to be more direct Robin, I understand now. I was so young then, all those years ago, and the injustice of it all burned me fiercely and still does. But I think that if I possessed then the knowledge that I do now, that perhaps my conclusions would have been somewhat different. Perhaps I wouldn't have held my father responsible for the failings of the World Government that he was struggling against. Perhaps I wouldn't have lost contact with him for as long as I did. I would have still chosen the path that I am on now, but maybe things between us could have been different…I apologize if that isn't exactly what you were looking for, but it's taken me years to even arrive at that. I think I've still got quite far to go too…"

"I understand," Robin replied. "Though it's interesting, you sound quite like a friend of ours, Silvers Rayleigh."

"I sound like Rayleigh?" Dragon asked curiously.

"Yes, he said something quite similar about coming to different conclusions when I asked him about the true history of the world. He knows, you know."

Dragon sat back in his chair and stroked his chin pensively, "Does he now? Interesting. I've wanted to meet with him for a while now and thank him for taking care of my son, perhaps this is a good opportunity. Though, I'm not interested in asking him about the Void Century."

Robin cocked her head, surprised. "But I thought -"

Dragon interrupted her with a dismissive wave of his hand, and a teasing grin on his face. "Oh, I'd like to know what happened, but not from him. I've already made my bet. You'll just have to tell me yourself, Robin," he said, before turning to Luffy, eyes flashing "after _you _become King."

Luffy blinked in surprise before sporting a confident, borderline feral grin, matched by his father and the rest of the crew.

Dragon laughed suddenly and leaned forward, "Now, that's enough about me. Tell me about _you_! Tell me everything!"

And Dragon listened as they told him of their adventures since setting sail, their start in the East Blue, Alabasta, Skypeia, Water Seven and Enies Lobbies. The talked about their adventures at Thriller Bark, Sabaody, about their separation. Luffy's foray into Impel Down and Marineford were not mentioned except for a quiet thank you from Dragon to Luffy for helping one of his lieutenants, Ivankov. Nothing else was necessary, as the entire world already knew the events that took place. They told him about their reunion, Fishman Island, and Dressrosa, about the confrontation with Big Mom's crew on Whole Cake Island and Kaido's crew on Wano.

Through it all, Dragon remained mostly silent, digesting the hours of story they divulged to him, only offering a brief sentence on Kuma and that he hadn't any idea that Kuma had met with them previously. He needn't say anything more, as the proud smile he wore and the gleam of his eyes spoke more than perhaps he could say.

A soft chirp broke the comfortable silence following their story and Dragon looked down as he reached into his pocket, withdrawing a black transponder snail. He held it out in front of him and answered gruffly. A voice quietly spoke for no longer than thirty seconds, culminating in a quiet affirmation on Dragon's part before he abruptly ended the call. He placed the transponder snail in his pocket, before looking back up.

"I'm afraid I have to cut our time together a bit short," he said regretfully.

"Of course," Sanji said standing, beginning to take everyone's plates, "Duty calls."

Dragon nodded in agreement before waving his hand. A gentle breeze filled the dining room lifting the plates out of Sanji's hands and off the table, depositing them gently in the sink. A flick of his finger and trash found its way into the garbage.

"Oh, thank you," Sanji said, impressed.

"Not at all, Dragon replied, "Thank you for your hospitality." He stood and everybody stood with him, making their way out of the dining room and onto the deck of the ship. Dragon looked up to the sky, still dark with clouds. A light sprinkle began not shortly after. He said nothing while looking upwards, silent like a specter.

He turned suddenly, locking eyes with his son. He reached forward with a large hand and brought it to Luffy's right cheek. "I've waited a long time to meet you, to talk with you." His thumb brushed gently across his son's cheek, "To feel how warm you were."

He lowered his hand from Luffy's face, "I know I don't have any right, but I'm proud of you. And even more, I love you." A gentle breeze wafted across the ship, and Dragon slowly began to rise in the air. "Thank you, Luffy, for being my son. And thank you all," he said, looking around at each member of Luffy's crew, lingering slightly longer on Nami than the rest, "thank you all for watching over him."

They smiled at his statement. The rain began to pick up in intensity, what started as a soft drizzle now a moderate storm. Dragon continued to rise, not breaking eye contact with his son.

"Wait."

Dragon paused in his flight, nearly ten feet off of the ground. His head tilted as he regarded his son seriously.

"Are you going to be the leader of the World Government?"

Dragon's eyes narrowed slightly and replied, "As soon as I overthrow it, yes."

Luffy's eyes flashed and he grinned wildly, "I don't care if you're my father, I'm a pirate. I'm still going to live the way I want to."

Dragon laughed loud and long, tilting his head back with a flash of white teeth. "I'd expect no less."

"You'll have to send the Admirals after me."

"The Admirals?" Dragon asked. "No, that won't do. And I won't be sending Sabo, either. The King would be too much, I'd think." His face morphed into a fierce grin, the trademark grin of his family. His eyes flashed and he said, "The one that's going to hunt you is _me_."

The sea exploded in a colossal spray of water as the pair's Conqueror's Haki collided in a titanic struggle. Their display of power only lasted moments before the atmosphere receded back to the calm, steady rain from prior to the show of their will.

Dragon laughed again, and stared down at his son, a pleased smile on his face. "Follow your dreams, Luffy. Live according to your will. Become the King of the Pirates! We'll meet again soon."

There was a brief moment where they simply smiled at each other, before the sky suddenly unleashed a torrential downpour and hurricane force wind swept across the sea. The dramatic change startled the crew, and Nami barely managed to see a piece of paper whip towards her from under Dragon's cloak.

"Wait-" she started, but there was a flash of lightning, and Dragon was gone. And in the blink of an eye, it was over. The wind was nonexistent, the rain a small spattering of droplets here and there before fading out of existence entirely. The clouds thinned out, and before long, the only thing that inhabited the sky was the sun.

Nami glanced down at the piece of paper, then hastily stuffed it in the pocket of her shorts with flushed cheeks.

"What an amazing guy," Zoro said.

"Agreed," Jinbe said gruffly.

"One thing's for sure," Nami said, causing everyone to turn toward her curiously. "We definitely got stuck with the wrong member of the family!"

"Hey!" Luffy yelled as everyone roared with laughter. Nami stuck her tongue out at him in response. He scowled for a moment before he started laughing as well.

"Nami!" Luffy said, as the laughter began to die down.

"What?"

"Come play tag with me, Usopp, and Chopper!"

"No," Nami responded quickly. "I'm going to read a book for a while."

"A book?" Luffy asked, pulling a horrified face. "That's too boring!"

"Not to me!" Nami responded back, starting to get annoyed. "Play without me."

Luffy scowled again, dissatisfied with her answer. He reached backwards and stretched his arm towards a small barrel, pulling something from within.

Nami's eyes flashed as she saw what now occupied his hand. "Don't you fucking dare."

He stared at her defiantly as he held his hand above her head. There was a soft pop, that may have well been the bang of a gunshot in the hushed silence surrounding the ship as no one dared make a sound. Nami closed her eyes as cold water splashed over her head and trickled down her face and body.

_Breathe Nami, _she thought to herself, trying to maintain her cool. She took a deep breath and counted to three, before opening her eyes to see him standing within an arm's length of her. Smirking at her.

"I'm gonna kill you!" she roared, lunging at him. He dodged easily and ran as fast as he could away from her, Nami following in close pursuit.

"Well, he's screwed," Zoro said, laughing along with the rest of the crew.

"Nami-san, come chase after me!" Sanji yelled.

"Shut up, pervert cook," Zoro called.

"What did you say, moss head?" Sanji exclaimed.

"Zoro, come save me!" Luffy yelled, breaking the sudden stare down between the swordsman and cook.

"Fat chance!" Zoro replied. "You're on your ow-" he started, before noticing a long, rubbery arm clutching at the green haramaki at his waist. "Oh, fuck."

And for the second time that day, Zoro mentally cursed whatever shit star he was born under as he flew across the deck.

* * *

Nami sighed happily, smiling as she pulled a light gray tank top over her head. She placed her hands at the base of her neck and pulled her soft hair through, shaking her head as soon as her hair was loose. She lifted her arms above her head and stretched, humming at how good it felt. She felt absolutely _delightful_ following her hot shower. It was the perfect way to round out a day that had proven to be especially eventful.

And then she scowled slightly, remembering the impromptu game of tag that eventually encompassed the entire ship and involved all of the crew. Somehow it turned into all of them trying to capture Luffy which was an extraordinarily difficult feat to accomplish on account of his speed and his haki prowess. It took some pretty clever thinking on Nami's part to create a mirage of meat with her climatact for them to catch him and for her (and Zoro) to properly punish Luffy for his mischief.

He drove her nuts, Luffy did! _But, _she thought, _I wouldn't have it any other way._ She smiled, thinking of the massive, exhausting game of tag that followed the Luffy-chase. It was certainly fun.

She stepped out of the bathroom with another pleased hum, almost bouncing as she walked. She sat on the edge of her bed and slipped on a pair of bright pink socks, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Robin was staring at her.

"What?" she asked, turning her head towards Robin.

"Nothing," Robin said with a smile. "You seem happy."

Nami peered at the archeologist curiously, trying to determine if there was a motive behind the statement. She never knew with Robin when it was genuine curiosity or an avenue to get teased. Most of the time it was both. It seemed innocent enough, given how Robin was propped up against the headboard of her bed, one of her long index fingers sandwiched inside of a book on her lap so that she could keep her place.

_Always reading, _Nami thought to herself. She took note of the clock resting on the nightstand between their bed, reading nine o'clock. "I am."

"Something to do with our very handsome captain?"

Nami busied herself with maneuvering herself under the covers in her bed, laying on her side so that she could look at Robin whole resting her head on her pillow. "It was an interesting day," she said evasively.

"Interesting it was," Robin agreed. She looked at Nami pensively. "You found yourself comparing them, didn't you?"

"I did."

"And?"

Nami's face scrunched in thought as she considered the question. "They're so different, almost alien. Where Dragon is reserved, Luffy is loud. Where Dragon is serious, Luffy is a goofball. Where Dragon is polite, Luffy is rude and obnoxious. Where Dragon is thoughtful, Luffy is instinctive."

Robin was quiet while she waited for Nami to continue speaking.

"But they're also strikingly similar, if that makes any sense? It's hard to explain, but they _feel _the same."

"Yes," Robin said. "I know what you mean. I expect Luffy looks more like his mother, but Dragon passed down his will, I think. Notice the smile?"

"Robin, it was the same! And they had the same look in their eyes too, when they talk about freedom."

"Mhm," Robin hummed. "He is certainly Luffy's father. I spent a long time while I was with him in the Revolutionary Army attempting to see Dragon in Luffy and vice-versa. They're radically different, but very similar as you said."

"How come he didn't know so much about us?"

"Hm?" Robin asked.

"Well, he asked us to tell him about ourselves. I figured he would have asked you while you were with him…" Nami replied.

"Oh," Robin said, holding back a giggle. "He was _very _interested when he first met me. But he refrained and asked that I only tell him a few of the basics. He was adamant that he hear everything from us when he officially met with us. I could tell it was hard for him, holding back from asking too much about his son. Though I expect that everything we told him today, he already knew. His profession is information, after all."

"I got that feeling too, that he knew everything that was being said." Nami said, before thinking to herself, _and maybe a bit too much, at that, _remembering how intuitive he seemed to be when it came to her whatever-it-was with Luffy."I'm glad he came today. He seems to genuinely care for Luffy."

"He does. I can only imagine what it felt like having to let go of him when Luffy was a baby."

"It must have been tough," Nami said softly. She yawned lightly, catching Robin's attention.

"Too much excitement for one day, it seems."

"Maybe just a little too much," Nami smiled. "I think it's time for me to get some sleep. Good night, Robin." She rolled over, facing away from Robin.

The light in the room dimmed as Robin turned down the brightness of the lamp next to her bed. "Good night, Nami," she said.

In the silence that took over, Nami heard the soft slip of pages as Robin opened the book on her lap and continued to read.

She found that she couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing through the events of the day: her talk with Robin, her foray into foolishness with Luffy, Dragon's arrival…all of which stole the focus of her mind from the one thing she wanted at the moment.

But that wasn't the only problem, she noticed. Her bed, her last sanctuary, had suddenly become _unbearably_ uncomfortable. She sunk too far down into the bed. So she rolled over. The bed was too hard. She rolled over again. She was too hot. She threw the blankets off of her. She was too cold. She pulled the blankets back up.

It was when the pillow felt too hard that Nami gave up and cracked open her eyes. The clock on the nightstand read ten o'clock.

"Hard to sleep with something missing?" came the teasing lilt from Robin.

_Yes, _Nami's mind traitorously answered. For an instant, she was consumed by the memories of a wonderful heat pressed against her back and a strong arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Hush," she commanded to the archeologist, sending her a glare.

Robin simply smiled, not taking her eyes off of the book she was reading. Perhaps a blessing for Nami, as surely her friend would tease her more if she saw the slight flush on her cheeks. "Why not just go to him?"

"It's too late."

"It was late yesterday."

Nami frowned at her instant rebuttal. "He could be sleeping."

"He'll be awake."

Nami's frowned deepened as her excuse was rejected. "I don't want to bother him…"

To this, Robin had no rebuttal. No verbal rebuttal, at least. Her head slowly raised and turned, and she eyed Nami pointedly, raising a long, slender eyebrow in conjunction with her gaze. Nami avoided her eyes purposely, knowing that the look was Robin's way of questioning if she had _really_ forgotten what they spoke about earlier.

"_Luffy's different with you."_

Nami sighed and sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "You won't be lonely?"

"No, I think I'll be fine. Perhaps I'll have a bit of company, too," Robin laughed, capping off her statement with a wink. Nami briefly imagined a startled swordsman being woken up by a disembodied hand and laughed.

"You'll have to tell me how you managed to get involved with that blockhead," Nami said, smiling. "It's only fair, as I told you!"

"I will," Robin replied, "but tomorrow. For now, you don't want to keep him waiting." Nami heard the door open softly as Robin used her ability and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay. Goodness," Nami said teasingly. "Tonight better be worth it for you, kicking me out like this."

"Oh, I think I'll enjoy it _immensely,"_ Robin said with a giggle. Nami laughed in return, standing and making her way towards the door.

"Goodnight, Robin."

"Goodnight, Nami."

She took her time walking, still nervous. She really shouldn't have been, as Robin had told her. It was _him_, and he always made time for her. But it was all so new and fresh to her, and he had always been an enigma to her, and even despite her talk with Robin earlier, she couldn't help but be a tad bit frightened.

So deep was she in thought that she didn't notice was actually standing in front of his door with her arm raised. She blinked in surprise, not even aware of having crossed the deck to get to this section of the ship. She made to knock on the door but hesitated just before her knuckles touched the polished wood.

But the door opened.

And there he was standing in front of her, staring at her curiously.

"How did you-" she started, slightly shocked.

"I've seen it," he replied simply.

_He's seen it? _she thought, confused. She didn't bother to voice her question, choosing to remain silent, and slowly lowered her arm. She merely gazed at him, right into his eyes, as he did with her. After a few moments, he pushed the door open just a little wider, his onyx eyes not wavering from hers.

Silently she stepped inside, and turned back to him, watching him close the door. His eyes had followed her as she stepped into his room, and never broke away even as his hand pushed the door shut.

She watched him and realized he was waiting for her. Whatever she wanted.

Nami dropped her eyes from his, sliding down his shirtless chest and coming to rest on his hands, hanging down by his waist. She took a moment and mustered her courage, courage that she often found in _him _ironically, before reaching forward and seizing his left hand with hers. She smiled, pleased that she had conquered that small hurdle.

Her eyes flicked to his briefly noting his somewhat curious gaze, and she turned on the spot and walked to his bed, gently tugging him along with her, still smiling.

They climbed into his bed simultaneously, and he pulled the covers back so they could slide under them together. Laying on her right side, Nami was greeted with his familiar body heat as he sidled up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her tightly to him. His other arm lay under her head, outstretched in front of her. She extended her right arm alongside his outstretch arm, placing the back of her hand in his palm, and slid her left hand over the hand that lay on her belly. She gently worked her fingers between his, intertwining the digits on both their hands.

Soon, quickly enough that Nami didn't even realize, she was asleep.

* * *

It started out softly, the voice. A low murmur that slowly roused her from her rest. The more she became aware, the more she realized that the voice wasn't a murmur and that someone was rudely talking while she was trying to sleep. She took a deep breath, swearing that if this nonsense hadn't stopped by the time she counted to three, she would set Zeus on the offender to teach them a lesson about interrupting her beauty sleep.

And then she actually _heard_ the voice and her eyes snapped open. Her eyes found the clock, indicating it was just past three in the morning.

She rolled over, panicked. He was shaking in his sleep, muttering to himself. A light sweat cast a sheen on his forehead and chest.

"Ace…" he mumbled fitfully.

Her heart broke for him. She reached towards Luffy to shake him awake. "Luffy," she called, pressing her hand to his shoulder. He twitched in his sleep, but she couldn't rouse him.

"Luffy!" she called again, more insistent, louder. She pressed her hand against his shoulder again and pushed harder, desperately.

This time he bolted upright, startling her. His chest heaved with each breath and he shook violently.

"Hey, Luffy," she said softly, reaching out for him again. He flinched and avoided her touch. Nami forced down the hurt she felt as he turned to her, face twisted in pain. He was looking at her, but his eyes indicated that he was far away.

"He was right there," he said softly. "He was right in front of me…" His voice broke and cracked at the end, and she could see tears well up in his eyes.

Nami let out a choked sob before lunging at him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. She sank back to the bed on her side, pulling him down with her. She clutched his head tightly to her breast and threaded her fingers through his hair. She lightly scratched his head with her nails in an attempt to soothe him.

"I'm sorry, Luffy. I'm so sorry," she said, crying lightly. She buried her nose in his hair, whispering, "I should have been there with you. I'm so, so sorry. Forgive me, Luffy."

Luffy snaked one of his arms underneath her body and withdrew the other from between them and wrapped them both around her back, effectively pulling himself further into her chest and her embrace. She could acutely feel his frame still shaking.

"I love you," Nami whispered. "I love you so much, Luffy." She continued to whisper sweet nothings to him, apologies to him, anything to draw his mind away from his nightmares. She continued to gently run her fingers through his hair. Gradually, she felt his quivering slow and then finally still. His breathing eased, and he was finally, mercifully asleep again.

And Nami lay awake, still stroking Luffy's hair.

"_Nami, we need money."_

_She lifted her head from her map, narrowing her eyes at the two intruders daring to interrupt her work. "You're too far in debt for me to give you another loan. Go away," she replied coldly, returning her attention to her map. _

"_It's for Luffy."_

"_Tell that moron that our reserves of meat are full, we don't need more, and for the last damn time I'm not spending _my _money, _my _gold on a bronze statue of him."_

"_Nami, we need the money. It's serious."_

_Her head snapped up and she stared at Zoro, perplexed. He stood a few feet from her desk, arms crossed at his chest with a scowl on his face. Franky stood a few feet behind him, leaning against the wall by the door._

"_What's wrong with Luffy?"_

_Zoro's scowl deepened. "He's been having nightmares. Loud nightmares."_

"_Nightmares?" she asked curiously. She couldn't even imagine Luffy being afflicted with simple nightmares. _

"_Yeah. He's been having nightmares and waking us up. We need money for a room for him."_

_Nami's jaw dropped open, anger quickly rising. She couldn't believe that they, that _Zoro_, of all people would suggest such a thing so callously with no regard for Luffy. "How dare-"_

"_It wasn't my idea!" Zoro snapped angrily, cutting her off. "It was his."_

"_What?" Nami said, confused._

"_I said it was his idea," Zoro said gruffly. "That idiot won't listen. I kept telling him it wasn't a problem, we all did. He kept apologizing and somehow got the bright fucking idea that being in a room by himself would make it better because at least he wouldn't keep waking us up. He won't let it go."_

_Nami gaped at Zoro, "Chopper can't figure out anything?"_

_He shook his head, replying, "Chopper said that the shit that can help with that is also addictive and can be dangerous. Sleeping stuff is typically only short term, anyway."_

"_Well, what do you think?"_

"_That he shouldn't be alone." he mumbled in return. _

"_But he won't let it go?"_

_Zoro shook his head again._

"_Okay," Nami said. "Yeah, I'll set some money aside. Oh, and sorry for assuming-"_

"_Don't worry about it," he said gently._

_Nami nodded at the swordsman before turning to Franky to discuss estimates for the new addition to the ship. _

Tears slipped out of her eyes as she thought of how this room came into being. _I'm sorry, Luffy, _she thought to herself. She berated herself for not noticing sooner, for thinking that this room was the end of the issue.

For not thinking that the most brilliant smile in the world could be hiding something.

It hurt her, it _really_ hurt her to think that Luffy could be plagued by something like this, by nightmares of his brother dying in front of him. He was the strongest person she knew, and even more important, the kindest person as well. If there was anyone in this world that didn't deserve this, it was Luffy.

She let out a muffled sob into his hair.

She should have noticed. She should have checked. When it was her, he was always there. When she was sad, it was him who sought to make her happy. When she was frightened, he sought to give her strength. When she needed help, he was there to open his door to her and bring her to his room, or he was there to try and solve whatever issue it was that had made her cry.

But where had she been? Had she even bothered to check after Zoro had come to her?

_I'm sorry, Luffy, _she thought again. _I'm so sorry._

"I love you, Luffy," she whispered gently, placing a lingering kiss on the top of his head. She thought about their entire journey together and how he had never, _ever_, let her down and vowed from that moment that she would never let him face this alone again.

"I love you so much," she whispered softly before burying her nose in his hair again, breathing in his scent. She continued to softly run her fingers through his hair before she too succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Another chapter down. Originally this and the last chapter were the same, but it got too long (together they were 21k words and 47 pages). Hopefully Dragon's little story is acceptable. I thought pretty hard about it, and I think something like that could be feasible. I tried to keep the timeline consistent, so the age he was when Roger died was what was presented here. I also think that he's a really good father, and wanted nothing more to be that father for Luffy, but that he couldn't because he was a danger to his son, and so acted accordingly (thus, he's a good father). And poor Luffy.

Let me know what you think. Really thankful for the reviews that were left, they mean a lot. Edited this better than the last one, that's for sure. Still, if anything slipped through the cracks, let me know so I can fix it. Fixed the previous chapter too. See you next time, and stay safe and healthy.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was the warmth Luffy noticed first. Then it was the softness. It was entirely too inviting, so instead of opening his eyes he simply moved closer to it, snuggling his way deeper into his comfortable hideaway hoping that he'd drift back to sleep.

The memories of the night before came third, after a while. He opened his eyes and was greeted with darkness. He felt the soft, steady rise and fall of her chest against his face and the warm puffs of breath on the top of his head. He felt the slack grip of her arms around his neck and slowly pulled away from her grip, careful not to rouse her. He gently grabbed the wrist sitting atop his neck and placed it in between them. When he finally extracted himself from her completely, he propped himself up on his elbow to look down at her.

He couldn't help but stare.

_Is it the light?_ he thought to himself.

It trickled down from a nifty little window on the wall above him, pumped down from the outside by one of Franky's nifty designs that he could never even begin to explain, over his shoulder and down onto Nami.

And she was stunning, like this. Angelic, even. She seemed to glow, even in the sparse light. The sunlight made her long orange hair burn brighter where it landed. It accentuated the slight flush to her cheek that was visible beneath stray strands of mussed hair.

He gently reached out with his right hand and touched her cheekbone with the pad of his index finger. In a slow, deliberate swipe so as to not disturb her, he gently dragged his finger across the length of her cheek, brushing back the stray hair and tucking it behind her ear.

It was with a tenderness that confused him slightly, he wasn't sure why she captivated him so, and it was the thrill that he got from doing so that confused him further.

She made a small noise and huffed, her tongue peeking out of her mouth to wet her pink lips. Her _soft _pink lips, Luffy remembered.

_When did I start thinking of her this way?_

As he stared down at her, he was acutely aware of a tightening feeling in his chest that made it hard to breathe correctly. He released a slow, shuddering breath, trying to regain himself.

Nami made another small noise, and her eyes lifted open and she yawned. Luffy froze as she turned her head and peered at him through half-lidded, sleepy eyes. She startled him when she reached for him with both of her hands, wrapped them around his neck and pulled him right back down to her breast.

"Mine," she muttered, nuzzling his hair with her nose.

'_Mine?' _Luffy thought, blinking quickly in confusion. Something inside him made his heart thump heavily at the declaration that he was hers. He was perplexed, as he typically revolted against the idea of anything that could restrict his freedom in any way but for this, he felt nothing of the sort.

A quick check with his haki determined that Nami was again asleep, and Luffy chuckled at the thought that she never been awake to begin with when she glanced at him and pulled him back down to her. Even more carefully than before did he extricate himself from her grasp, leaving the warmth of her breast for the cool air of his room.

He couldn't help but stare at her for a short while again, before shaking his head in an effort to get himself moving. He gently climbed out of the bed, taking care not to wake her. He looked down at her (_again_, he noted) as he stood.

She shivered and pawed at the space he had just vacated.

He immediately reached down and grabbed the hem of the blankets and pulled them up under her chin. Nami huffed and pulled the blankets closer to her, relishing the warmth.

Luffy was confused with his reaction, how instantly he responded to her. He was confused at the feeling bubbling up in his stomach, the same feeling that caused his heart to pound as she held him. He was confused with his inability to keep his eyes off of her. He was confused with the urge he had to touch her, to feel her, even in the smallest way possible.

He was confused when his body took over and he leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss against her cheek, and even more so when his lips tingled as he withdrew.

He turned and walked over to the door, giving her another long glance over his shoulder before shaking his head and slipping quietly out of the room.

As he walked the dark hallway, he considered the myriad of feelings bubbling inside him. He was sure of nothing except that he had thinking to do. He wasn't too keen on it, thinking too hard could give you headaches after all. But he'd willingly suffer that.

She deserved his utmost attention and effort.

Not long after Luffy's departure, Nami stirred. Immediately, she noticed. She wiggled her body further in the bed but met nothing except more bed. It frustrated her.

Greatly.

She was warm, yes, but not the kind of warm she wanted to be. If she wanted to simply be wrapped in a blanket, she could very well have just stayed him her room.

No, she wanted _his_ warmth. She wanted to feel his chest against her back, his body draped over hers like a heating pad. Or maybe she wanted to bury her face in the muscles of his chest, splay her fingers over the broad lines of his torso. She wanted to press her cheek against his body and tuck her nose under his chin and feel his strong arms pull her tightly to him and-

_God damnit, where the hell is he?_ She thought, cracking her eyes open to glare at the space formerly occupied by her captain. Nami eyed his now vacated pillow briefly before snatching it and quickly pulled it to her body. She growled and buried her head in the pillow, breathing in his scent.

_He's due for a good scolding, _she thought, pulling the covers up just under her nose. She would definitely be impressing upon him the importance of her warmth. _Though, I guess I don't have much room to talk, after I bailed the other morning…a light scolding then, perhaps._

She couldn't help but be worried that maybe he was upset with her for that, but she immediately dismissed the thought. He certainly didn't seem that way when he welcomed her into his room…_but maybe I'll apologize, just in case…_

Sadness struck her when she remembered how she witnessed one of his nightmares. Sadness and guilt. _I should have listened to Zoro. I should have taken it more seriously…_

It was horrifying, she thought, that Luffy have to go through that. He didn't deserve that, not at all. Despite being a pirate, he was the best person she knew. Sure he was a goofball, a troublemaker, and a not-so-smart rubber man, but he was genuinely the kindest person she knew. He didn't deserve to be haunted by the memory of his brother dying in his arms.

Her cheeks pinked when she thought of how she held him and the things she said to him. _Well, that cat's out of the bag,_ she thought rather casually. No matter how cool she tried to make herself feel though, and no matter the certainty with which she knew the opposite was the case, she couldn't quite tamp down the nagging worry that maybe she had said too much and that Luffy's disappearance was due to not feeling what she felt.

She shook her head to clear her head of such thoughts and sat up. She blinked when she felt a crinkle in the pocket of her shorts and reached down, sliding her fingers inside the denim pockets. She pulled out the small piece of paper from the day before, realizing that she hadn't changed from shorts the pair she wore yesterday.

Echoing footsteps from above drew her attention, and she realized that it was almost time for breakfast. She tossed the covers aside and sprung up, depositing the scrap of paper on the nightstand next to the bed. She hurried out of the room after making the bed (because _somebody_ had to keep order, and the heavens knew that Luffy would certainly not), intent on getting ready for the day.

* * *

Luffy stood on the figurehead of the Thousand Sunny with his arms crossed, gazing far out across the ocean in front of his ship. The sun beat down on the surface of the water, creating a brilliant mosaic on the sea.

And yet, he took little notice of it. On a normal day when he was done fooling around with Usopp and Chopper and ventured to the Sunny's head for a break, perhaps he would have enjoyed the sight before him.

But now another source of brightness dominated his mind.

Oh yes, she did certainly shine brilliantly, even he had noticed that. No longer could he mosey about and not devote any ounce of thought to this…whatever this was. Not when she had laid so bare her feelings last night, and after what happened the night before that. Not when the feelings in his stomach were something other than hunger.

He even ate less than usual at breakfast due to distraction!

"_I love you. I love you so much, Luffy."_

She _loved_ him. His brows furrowed as he thought about the pleading sound of her voice as she held him last night. It was different than how she viewed the rest of her crewmates, of that he was sure. He absolutely believed that Nami loved her crewmates but couldn't see her doing what she did for anyone else in the crew.

For that matter, she came to _his_ bed. And multiple times too. He knew her, and knew her well, and knew that she wouldn't have done that with anybody else. And she had kissed him too! _Or did I kiss her?_ he thought, before brushing it aside. _It doesn't matter, she certainly continued it and she definitely wouldn't kiss anyone else like that._ No, this was a different from the love she had of the crew.

And it was different than Hancock, too. Hancock was a nice woman, and strong as well! And she had done so much for him, from helping break into Impel Down to save Ace, and then helping him flee in the aftermath of the war and provide him shelter and a place to train. But when she said that she loved him, it didn't quite sit right. Especially now that he had something to compare it against. Hancock said she loved him, but did she really? She wanted to marry him, but could you marry someone that you don't know very well? Could you love someone that you don't know very well?

Luffy closed his eyes and took a steadying breath.

No, Hancock had not been through what they had been through together. She had not experienced what Nami had experienced with him. Nami was there at the beginning, the ups and downs. She helped form his crew along with Zoro. When Luffy wanted to go somewhere, it was Nami that guided him. When Luffy wanted to go to the Grand Line, it was Nami that showed him the way. When Luffy wanted to go to the New World, it was Nami that directed him.

So attached were they that it would be Nami that showed him where he had to go to be the King.

And it was even deeper with him. The burning rage when he saw her on her knees reduced to tears stabbing her shoulder to rid herself of her old tattoo in her village went beyond that of rage on behalf of a friend or crew member even. The fear that Enel was going to steal her from him was not just the feeling of loss of a friend or crewmate. That Kaido could have killed her, and he would have never seen her ever again, that he would never see her smile, laugh, cry, scold…

That she would be gone forever made him burn inside.

In truth, Nami and Hancock were not the same. Hancock was a friend. When he thought of Hancock, that was as far has his mind went. He could not envision her in the same light as he did Nami.

Nami was…different. Nami knew everything about him. Nami knew everything that he wanted. Nami was always there and would always be there. He treasured her. He needed her. This _feeling _in his gut had only ever occurred on her account, he had only ever been disoriented in this way because of _her_.

When he thought of Hancock, he thought of all the things she did for him, that she was kind to him, that she was funny, that she was pretty-

_Nami is pretty too._

He suddenly sees her again sitting atop him, panting from laughter, her hands pinning his down by his head. He sees the light flicker in her brown eyes as she's leaning down and finds himself leaning up to meet her.

He sees her again sleeping, the glow of her skin and hair from the early morning light trickling through the window and he tries and fails to resist brushing the pad of his index finger across the soft skin of her slightly flushed cheek.

_No, _he thought, _pretty is not the word._

Nor was the word friend, he realized, as it was with Hancock. Nami was something more than that, and Luffy found that he _wanted_ her to be something more. This strange sensation boiling in his chest was a testament to that, but he wasn't sure why-

"_If I had to make a comparison, I would say that love is a wildfire. It hits you suddenly, and without warning. It engulfs you in a raging inferno, leaves you smoldering in heat on the inside, burns you if you're not careful, comforts you when you're cold, lights your world when it's dark…"_

_Ah, _he thought. He thought of the sudden burning feeling in his chest this morning and lingering effect thereafter. _A wildfire…_

"_I love you. I love you so much, Luffy."_

_Love, _he thought. _That's what it is._ _I love her._

He opened his eyes and smiled as it clicked for him. Of course, it would be that Nami showed him the way. He laughed out loud as the feeling inside him roared, and he knew what he had determined was correct. He smiled wide, so wide that his grin threatened to leave his face. He knew what he wanted. He wanted _her._

A rushing sensation overcame him as a vision played out in his mind. He blinked as the vision faded and the images were replaced with the sunlight and sea before him.

_Speaking of her, _he thought. It seemed that the object of his attention, deliberation, and now-realized affection would be joining him shortly…

* * *

Nami placed her pencil down on her desk with a sigh of relief. _Finally_, she thought, taking an appraising look at the newly finished map in front of her. A completed map of Wano, with detailed topography, ocean currents, and known weather patterns.

She leaned back in leather her chair and closed her eyes, reveling in her success and relishing the comfort the chair provided her.

_Money well spent, _she thought. After all, if she was going to sit for long stretches of time poring over paper as she created a map of the entire world, she could spare no expense on her chair. Besides, she stole the money used to buy the chair from an idiot pirate crew dumb enough to challenge Luffy to a fight, so it wasn't like she was wasting her own money.

_It was their own fault anyway, _Nami thought, remembering how Luffy clobbered them all within minutes, leaving all of their treasures to be plundered by the rest of the crew. _He's really become quite amazing now…_

Blinking away her thoughts, Nami opened her eyes and returned her focus to the map on her desk. She slipped her pencil and fine-point marker into a cup containing other utensils at the top of the desk and carefully placed her cartography tools in a drawer on the underside of the desk next to her right leg. She gently picked up the map of Wano and carried it across the room, opening a large metal filing cabinet built by Franky, and placed it in a section dedicated to maps depicting territories within the New World.

Her eyes flickered over the tabs pertaining to each section of the cabinet. North Blue. South Blue. East Blue. West Blue. Paradise. New World.

_So many places left to go, _Nami pondered quietly, running a slender finger over the tabs. The East Blue, Paradise, and New World sections were noticeably thicker than the other sections as they had yet to travel to any of the other seas outside of those three, but even so there were so many places left to go in the areas that they had been that the difference was really negligible. There was so much left to explore, the sections that had maps in them might as well have been empty. It was going to take a long time, years and years of sailing aboard the Thousand Sunny for the contents of this filing cabinet to resemble any significant progress.

_That's fine though, _she thought with a wide grin. _There's nowhere else I'd rather be._

She closed the cabinet with a metallic click and turned to leave her study, humming happily as she crossed the room. Exiting the study and closing the polished wooden door behind her, she strode forward and placed her hands on the banister overlooking the lawn deck below. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

She immediately noticed the relative quiet and became suspicious. _One does not simply enjoy quiet on the flagship of the Straw Hat Pirates, _Nami thought.

She cracked open her eyes and peered down at the lawn deck beneath her. Usopp and Chopper sat atop the portside railing with fishing poles, hoping to snag an exciting new creature to store in the aquarium and eventually for Sanji to cook for them.

Neither Franky or Sanji were on the deck, both most likely in their respective areas on the ship either inventing new gadgets or coming up with more delicious recipes for the sake of the crew. Brook sat against the foremast of the ship, playing a quiet tune on his trademark violin.

Jinbe stood at the helm of the ship, guiding the Sunny forward as was his duty. Zoro was _not_ sleeping or lifting weights, a rather odd development. Rather, he and Robin were standing close to Jinbe, chatting with their new helmsman.

Notably absent from everywhere was Luffy.

Luffy was not fishing with Usopp and Chopper. He was not yelling at Sanji for food, pestering Franky to show him new inventions, or harassing Brook to play _Bink's Sake_. He wasn't bugging Robin while she was reading, nor climbing on top of Jinbe. He wasn't bothering Zoro and demanding that Zoro do something fun other than sleep and work out.

Now that she thought of it, Nami had managed to finish a map in complete silence, undisturbed and without accusations of being mean when she rebuffed pleading attempts for her to play cards or play tag or do something other than make maps.

It didn't take long for her eyes to find his famous Straw Hat, though not in the place she expected.

Though his presence there did in fact explain why Zoro was not sleeping or weightlifting and why his eyes never strayed from forward even though he was talking to both Jinbe and Robin next to him.

And suddenly she felt nervous. She had noticed his behavior during breakfast, they all did. He was distant, distracted. He still ate like a whale, but not as much as normal and he wasn't as rambunctious as he might be on a normal day. He didn't look at her throughout the meal save for a fleeting glance right as she took her place next to him, and it admittedly worried her. That he seemed to pull away slightly from everyone worried her more.

She blinked, pushing down her worry, and decided to go down to and check with Zoro to see if he knew what was going on with the enigma that was their captain.

Her feet carried her steadily down the stairs across the lawn, and up towards the helm. Other than returning a polite gesture from Brook, the entirety of the trip was spent by Nami inwardly reflecting on what might be wrong with Luffy, so much so that she didn't notice where she was until she was already at her destination.

"So…" she started nervously.

"So, you broke our captain," Zoro said gruffly, earning a sharp glare from Nami.

"I didn't do anything!" she retorted while Jinbe and Robin laughed. Ignoring them she asked, "How long has he been up there?"

"An hour. Just after you went up to your study. He left Usopp and Chopper mid-game. You must have done something horrid," Robin said, teasingly at the end.

"Robin-"

"Nami," Jinbe interrupted, chuckling at the navigator. "We're only joking. Nobody thinks you did anything wrong, though all of us know he's up there because of something that happened with you. And I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

Nami smiled gratefully and nodded at the helmsman. She opened her mouth to respond but was preempted by Zoro.

"Now go and handle it. And don't break him any worse," he said. Nami glared at him and his smug, teasing smile. Robin she could handle, but now Robin and Zoro?

"Keep it up," she threatened with narrowing eyes, "and I'll increase the interest on your debt to two-hundred percent."

"Sure, punish me for something that's entirely your fault," Zoro replied, grinning.

"I didn't-"

"Go on," Zoro interrupted, chuckling. He motioned to the figurehead with a tilt of his head. "He's waiting for you."

The last sentence was spoken quieter than the rest of the dialogue had been, and as their eyes met an unspoken thought passed between them.

_Take care of him, _Zoro was telling Nami as he encouraged her to go to Luffy. She swallowed thickly and nodded at him.

Though she was rather loathe to admit it, she admired Zoro for how close he was with Luffy. She recalled that Robin had mentioned it when they talked the previous day, that Zoro also shared a different type of relationship with Luffy. Nami was certain that among everybody in the world, the only person that could be Luffy's first mate was the perpetually lost-and-napping swordsman on their ship.

And in that moment Nami was grateful that Luffy had a friend like Zoro.

_And speaking of Luffy…_

Nami shook herself from her thoughts and steeled herself for this inevitable conversation with her enigmatic captain. She brushed the front of her white sundress with her hands in an attempt to smooth out any wrinkles. She ignored Zoro's snort behind her, instead focusing on straightening the red sash wrapped around her waist.

_I like red_, she mused.

She stepped forward, well aware of the eyes boring holes into her back. She climbed up a small set of stairs leading up to the figurehead.

"Luffy!" she called out to him as she neared the top. She carefully grabbed a piece of the wood that made up the mane of the Sunny's lion-like figurehead and deftly stepped through the slight gap between it and one of its brethren. She could see him now, arms crossed, staring over the horizon. It didn't seem like he had heard her at all.

"Luffy," she called again, "I'm coming to where you are. Give me a hand so I don't -"

Her foot grazed a slick spot on Sunny's head and she yelped as she lost her balance. She tumbled over the side and felt gravity pull her down towards the sea.

Only instead of feeling the warm ocean water surround her, she felt a warm, rubbery arm wrap itself around her waist and break her fall. As quickly as she had fallen she was hefted up and deposited gently in front of him.

"Thanks," she said quietly, reaching out with both hands to grip his red cardigan tightly so as to not lose her balance again.

She was met with uproarious laughter from him, the vibrations of his laugh reverberating through her. "That was better than I thought it would be!"

"Better than you thought it would be?" she questioned, looking up at him confusedly. "What do you mean by that? You knew I would slip?"

"Yup," he said, ever-present grin stretching across his face. "I saw it."

"You saw it?" she asked, blinking rapidly in befuddlement. "What do you mean…" she started, only to trail off as his words suddenly resonated in her memory.

_She made to knock on the door, but hesitated just before her knuckles touched the polished wood. _

_But the door opened. _

_And there he was standing in front of her, staring at her curiously. _

"_How did you-" she started, slightly shocked. _

"_I've seen it," he replied simply._

She was quiet for a long while as she considered his words then, as well as how he was so sure of himself when he threw himself overboard yesterday, or rather so sure of _her. _Her eyes moved to and fro across his chest, not really seeing anything as she was lost in her thoughts.

"Luffy," she started slowly, as gears started to turn in her head. She looked up and met his eyes with her own, noting the look of smug amusement adorning his face as she worked it out. "There was that guy on Whole Cake Island that had Observation Haki so strong that he could see the future…did you learn how to do that?"

"Yup," he said, his grin now a full-blown smile stretching the width of his face.

"You can see the future?" she asked, starting to become irritated.

"Yup."

"You mean to tell me," she began with a growl, glaring up at her captain, "that you can see the future with your haki and you _still_ let me slip?"

"Yup," he answered again, punctuating his statement with a sharp nod.

A moment passed as she took in the sight of him grinning stupidly down at her before she quickly lunged at him and grabbed both of his cheeks with her hands, stretching them out as wide as you possibly could.

"You idiot!" she roared, tugging his cheeks erratically. "Why the hell didn't you stop me?"

"Ah! Nami, wait!" he yelled, words slurred due to his mouth being contorted by her attack. "What're you doing?"

"I'm gonna tie your damn lips together!"

"But I won't be able to talk!"

"That's the point!" Nami said, struggling to gain dominance while he desperately jerked around. His arms flew up and grabbed her wrists gently, but strongly enough to render her unable to move her arms any further. She frowned at him, at his grinning face now distorted due to his cheeks beings stretched a foot and a half from their normal place on his face.

With narrowing eyes, she released her hold on his face. His cheeks rejoined the rest of his face with a rubbery snap. "Why'd you not stop me from falling?"

"Because I wanted to catch you," he responded succinctly.

"That's a stupid reason!" she snapped.

"It's not," he said lowly. "I'll always catch you."

She tried to avoid his gaze but found herself trapped by the intensity of his dark eyes. "I'd prefer it if you didn't let me fall to begin with," she mumbled grumpily.

"That's because you're a chicken," he teased.

"No, it's because I'm normal," she retorted.

"No," he said quietly, releasing her arms and allowing his to fall by his side. "I don't think you're that, either." He reached forward slowly nudging a long, orange curl gently behind her left ear with an index finger. Nami shivered slightly when his finger had brushed her cheek.

And still they stared at each other.

"Luffy, I'm sorry," she said suddenly. He tilted his head, confused. "I left you the other morning…"

"Oh, that? It's fine. I thought you wanted to think. You like to think," he said nonchalantly.

"Is that what you were doing this morning? Thinking?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Did it hurt?" she asked, smiling.

Luffy blinked once then grinned widely at the minor insult. He held his hand up and positioned his index finger and thumb an inch a part. "Maybe a little."

Nami's smile widened further. They shared a quiet moment with each other, simply looking at one another. "What were you thinking about?" Nami asked, smile sliding from her face as she prepared herself for a serious discussion.

"You."

His simple answer caught her off guard, and she blinked rapidly. She found it slightly harder to control her breathing. "What about me?" she asked softly.

Her regarded her seriously for several long moments. She found herself tense and started to fidget nervously under his gaze. She was about to snap at him when he finally answered.

"You're like a wildfire."

"A wildfire?" she asked, confused. She stared back at him, taking note that he was absolutely serious and not toying with her. She racked her brain trying to figure out what he meant. Several long moments passed as she struggled to understand him when she remembered a conversation with another Monkey D. not twenty-four hours prior. _Oh._

_Oh, _she thought again, eyes widening as she put together what he said.

And the entire time, Luffy stared down at her, watching the gears in her head turn as she slowly gained understanding.

He was captivated by her. Again.

At first it was her eyes. The reflection of the early afternoon light on her wide, brown eyes made them shine and the golden flecks within glow bright. Then it was the soft skin of her cheeks and the rising pink dusted across her delicate cheekbones. And then it was her lips, soft and plump, parted as she slowly came to a conclusion.

_Let me help her along, _he thought. He reached up with his right hand and slipped it under her soft hair and around the back of her neck. Gently, he pulled her to him, placing a steadying left hand at the small of her back when she stumbled forward with his unexpected move.

Something inside his chest growled with want when her soft hands flew to his chest to brace herself against him. "Nami," he said softly, "I'm going to kiss you. Okay?"

Already wide eyes widened further. "Yeah," she said breathily. "Okay."

He surged forward and pressed his lips to hers. The thing inside his chest roared with triumph when he felt the soft skin of her lips against his.

Slowly and softly did he move his lips over hers. He felt her hands glide over his chest to the fabric of his open cardigan and fist the material. As he was beginning to move away from her, he felt her tug on his cardigan gently and rise to the tips of her toes in an effort to keep him in place.

He smiled into the kiss and the hand at the small of her back pulled her flush against his body. She gasped at the contact, her breasts and chest now pressed tightly against the heat of his chest. She felt all of him through the thin material of her sundress, and he felt _wonderful_.

Luffy marveled at the softness of her body, her hair, her lips. He vastly enjoyed the insistence Nami displayed, tugging gently on his lips to keep him kissing her.

She was beautiful and demanding and he _loved _it. He loved the feel of her against him, he loved how she had essentially declared that it would be over when _she _wanted it to be over. He loved the sounds she made, the gasp he heard when he flicked his tongue against her bottom lip, the whimper she made when he slipped his tongue into her mouth, and the moan she made as she began to brush her tongue against his, hesitantly at first but boldly as they carried on.

Luffy himself didn't really know what he was doing, he had never kissed anybody before he kissed Nami the other night, and he was just repeating what they had done then.

And he loved it. He loved everything about her.

Finally they pulled apart, Luffy slid his hand from the nape of her neck and Nami sank back from her tip-toes. Had Nami not been holding onto his cardigan and had he relinquished his grip from the small of her back, Luffy suspected that she might have stumbled backwards. His eyes flitted over her face as he took in her appearance.

He was immensely pleased with the dazed look in her wide, brown eyes, the flush of her cheeks, and the slightly swollen appearance of her lips. He resisted the urge to be smug and resisted the even stronger urge for him to lean down and kiss her all over again.

Instead he smiled widely and said, "I love you too, Nami."

She blinked before returning his smile with a wide, radiant smile of her own. "Is that what you've been thinking about all this time?" she asked coyly.

"Mostly," he said.

"Mostly?" Nami questioned. "What else have you been thinking about?"

"The future," he replied simply.

"The future? Why don't you just look ahead and see it yourself?" she grumbled, still miffed that he didn't stop her from falling a few minutes before.

"Because I can't see that far," he responded matter-of-factly. "Dummy."

"Who the hell are you calling a dummy?" Nami demanded, shooting him a glare for his teasing. "How should I know how far you're able to see in the future?"

Nami blinked, a sudden thought crossing her mind. Luffy was never the type to spend time thinking about the distant future. He lived in the present, for the moment, the grand adventure with little concern about anything more than ten minutes into the future. "What were you thinking of the future for?" she asked, confused.

She stared into his onyx eyes, wondering what had stolen his attention away such that he didn't leave his position after coming to a conclusion of his feelings for her. She stared at him, trying to decipher the meaning in those dark eyes.

He peered down at her, pleased that she had asked and even more so that she seemed to be searching him for answers. He raised his right hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face that had been deposited there by the gentle ocean breeze that wafted across their ship.

Again he marveled at how soft she felt beneath his fingertips.

"You," he said again. "I was thinking about your future."

Her face twisted in confusion and she opened her mouth to respond. Luffy quickly placed his finger over her lips, snorting in amusement at the defiance on Nami's face as he effectively shushed her.

"Be my Queen, Nami," he said sotto voce.

Nami blinked rapidly, not comprehending immediately what her rubber-brained captain had just uttered to her. Only after a few moments, when she had replayed his words over again multiple times that she finally understood the gravity of what he had said.

Her brown eyes bored holes in him as she regarded him in disbelief. "Luffy…do you understand what you just said?" she whispered to him.

"When I become King," he started, as softly as she had asked him, "I want you to be my Queen."

Nami's jaw slackened and it took her a second to stutter out a response. "But I thought you said you didn't want to get married. I thought you said you told Hancock you didn't want to marry her."

"Yup, I did. But Hancock isn't you."

He smiled wide and easy at the end of his sentence, as if the simple conclusion he had come to was the most natural thing in the world. All of a sudden, Nami felt it very hard to breathe and struggled to keep her composure. Despite her efforts, she couldn't stop her eyes from watering and her lips from trembling.

He noticed this and his face fell. All of a sudden his stomach seemed like it was sliding into a pit and he was filled with a terrible sinking feeling. He had expected some kind of reaction, but not like this. He didn't expect to make Nami cry, he would have never wanted that. _Maybe I did something wrong? Maybe she doesn't think like that about me? Maybe I misunderstood her?_ Luffy, who prided himself on remaining cool under mountains of pressure, began to panic inside.

"Eh, Nami," he stuttered, "you don't have to if you don't want to. I didn't mean to make you upset or anything, if you don't want to that's fine, you don't have to cry."

He was rambling now, and Nami barely heard any of it. Disbelief that he had asked her _that_ turned into disbelief that he thought he had done something wrong and that he had upset her. Looking at him now, she noticed that he couldn't even look at _her_. His eyes flitted nervously back and forth and at one point his eyes found the ground as he profusely apologized.

And Nami felt her chest swell even more, if that was possible, with wonder. This boy, _man_ she corrected herself, stood in front of her thinking that he had _wronged_ her, thinking that he had _upset_ her. This man, this sweet, kind, man had no idea that he had done the exact opposite of those things. And she knew it was cruel to let him carry on thinking such stupid things, but such was her shock that she was almost paralyzed. It took an inordinate amount of effort for her to finally move.

And when she did, it was with a choked sob as she lunged forward and gripped Luffy by his cheeks and pulled him to her, meeting his lips with hers.

The kiss was wet on account of her tears and sloppy on the account of her urgency. She could feel that he was unsure, he was stiff at the beginning with surprise, before melding to her and participating on equal footing with her.

"Foolish man," she whispered as they broke apart, still clutching his face in her hands. "Foolish, _foolish_ man. How could you think I'd be upset?"

He looked at her confusedly and opened his mouth to respond. He was silenced when she cut him off.

"I'm crying because I'm _happy_."

He blinked and clamped his mouth shut, waiting patiently for her to elaborate.

"I'm happy that you feel that way about me Luffy, that you feel about me like I feel about you. I'm happy that you asked me." She saw his features relax slightly, though concern still clear on his face. His eyes, ever piercing, were still tight and tense at the corners. She decided to end his confusion and leaned forward the tips of her toes to press a soft, quick kiss on his lips. "The answer is yes, Luffy. The answer has always been yes."

Slowly his eyes widened in wonder and his lips twisted in a giant smile. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to his body. She shrieked and laughed when he lifted her and spun her around with him in a circle before gently setting her back down where she had just previously been on the figurehead.

"Does this mean that I can kiss you more?" Luffy asked.

"Yes, it does," Nami said, chuckling at his enthusiasm.

"And we can sleep together more?"

Nami felt her cheeks heat just a little bit at the double entendre, though she knew that he was only asking in the innocent way. "Yes, it does," she replied.

"And I can hold you more?"

"Yes, and I can hold you too!"

"Ok!" he started excitedly. "Does it mean you'll also feed me tangerines."

"Tangerines?" Nami asked, eyes suddenly narrowing. Luffy blinked and his face fell just a bit. "No way! Those are mine!"

"Please, Nami!" he begged, face twisting into an adorable pout.

She pretended to give his request serious thought, allowing a frown to slip over her visage. In reality, she was always going to say yes to him (with moderation in mind, of course), but sometimes it was just so fun to tease him and see his face twist in childish, exaggerated expressions.

"Fine," she said after a brief lapse, and watched Luffy's face start to light up with joy. "But," she started quickly, cutting off any preemptive celebration, "you'll have to promise to take regular baths!"

"Eh!" Luffy cried in protest. "But Nami, I don't like water! Plus, baths are so boring!"

"No buts! If you want my tangerines, then you have to promise!" she said sternly, before coloring slightly, "I won't be going anywhere near you if you smell like you've been swimming in a dumpster. There is ways to make baths fun, you know…"

"What ways?" he asked curiously.

"It's couple stuff," Nami said coyly, not quite meeting his eyes. "That comes later though, so don't worry about it."

Luffy cocked his head and stared at her quizzically, thinking over the terms of the deal. He really didn't want to take baths every single day, but Nami's tangerines were just so delicious that he couldn't resist even. Plus, food was food. "Ok," he said. "Deal."

"Deal!" Nami parroted enthusiastically, happy she was able to get Luffy to agree to the compromise. She loved him, but she wouldn't tolerate uncleanliness. Not that he stunk or anything (despite the lack of baths), but she wouldn't risk it. She had standards that had to be met. Plus, they weren't a run-of-the-mill pirate crew, they were the crew of the future Pirate King himself, and they had to set an example! Plus, she wouldn't allow her lover to have bad hygiene.

_Lover_, she thought, giddy that she could now call him that. The thought filled her chest with an indescribable happiness that made it difficult to breathe and stretched a wide smile over her face as she looked Luffy.

Luffy blinked quickly, enraptured by his navigator. _So lovely, _he thought, staring at the expression on her face. Very quickly he moved forward and slanted his mouth over hers, drawing a surprised squeak from her. When he drew back slightly, her eyes were a bit wider than before, and he could sense the disappointment that he hadn't stayed for longer.

It was a feeling that he was happy to ease, and this time she was ready.

He leaned down to her and she leaned up to him as they met for a slow, languid kiss.

When they pulled apart, she slid her hands from his cheeks down to his cardigan, fisting the material tightly in her hand. She tucked her head beneath his chin and breathed him in as he slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her even more tightly to him.

Nami inhaled deeply, breathing in him and the salty smell of the sea around them. She gazed at his cardigan-clad shoulder and a simple thought struck her, causing her to smile widely. _I really like red._

They remained that way for minutes, their motionless only broken briefly when Luffy adjusted his head to bury his nose in her hair, his lips near her ear. They swayed gently to and fro with the rock of the ship.

"Thank you for last night," Luffy said in a hushed whisper, breaking the silence.

Slowly, Nami pulled away from him so that she could look him in the eyes. She let go of his cardigan and slid her arms up around his neck, locking her hands behind it. She nodded before gently pulling him with her arms, bringing his face close to hers, touching his forehead and nose with her own.

She stared into his dark eyes unwaveringly, sternly. "Don't ever hide from me, Luffy," she said slowly, annunciating each word. "You mustn't ever hide from me."

His eyes widened in wonder at the beautiful woman before him, rendered speechless by her order. The only response he had was to nod his head, jostling her slightly as his forehead moved against hers.

She huffed, her warm breath trickled over his face and lips. A sign that she was pleased with his concession, he knew.

They stayed that way for a while, time lost on both of them, swaying back and forth on the rock of the ship on the seas of the New World. Utter silence around them, except for the sound of the Sunny cutting through the water.

And this whole time they studied each other. He, her liquid brown eyes dotted with molten gold, slightly rimmed red from her tears. Her, his onyx eyes, dark as coal that promised nothing but freedom, mischief, and now, just for her, love.

She blinked and smiled when he shifted his head down and touched his nose to hers. He smiled when she responded by rubbing her nose against his softly.

And Nami was supremely happy, so happy that her body felt light enough to float. If Luffy wasn't holding her close to his warm body, she would have questioned whether or not it was possible for her to simply drift away.

None of this happiness could have been diminished by the pair of eyes Nami spied in her peripheral, sitting discretely on one of the pieces of wood depicting the mane of their lion-themed figurehead. No, it didn't diminish her happiness, only amplified the happiness that she had taken the owner's advice and her gratefulness that she had helped Nami see the light, so to speak.

For whatever reason, her friend had a vested interest in seeing this series of events come to fruition, and Nami was eternally grateful that Robin had helped her along.

She sighed and shook her head, chuckling to herself quietly. Luffy's tilted head and owlish eyes signified his question and she simply nodded to the pair of eyes in response. He glanced over to where she indicated and let out a loud laugh. "Oh, that?" he started, "Yeah, Zoro and Jinbe are listening too."

"You noticed?" Nami scowled, earning a nod from Luffy. She tamped down the urge to scold him for not saying anything and just shook her head. "We should have just done this over there if they were going to hear it anyway," she said, before muttering something about "nosy crewmates."

Luffy laughed and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her back in the direction of the deck. She padded along with him grumpily, but it was mainly only for show. She wasn't upset in the slightest, and Luffy knew that as well. Nami's real reaction was equivalent to that of an internal eye roll.

Before stepping over the slick wood, she turned back to Luffy and leveled him with a stern glare from her auburn eyes. "You better not let me fall!"

"Never," Luffy laughed, taking note of how her grip on his hand tightened slightly as he spoke. He helped her over the mane of the lion figurehead from behind, not slackening his grip even remotely. He followed only when she was firmly back on the deck.

Luffy stepped on the polished wood of the deck and looked around to see that Zoro, Robin, and Jinbe were staring at the pair of him and Nami, all with knowing looks upon their faces. Zoro in particular had an almost arrogant smirk that for whatever reason was irritating Nami (as far as Luffy could tell), while Robin and Jinbe sported easy smiles.

"I don't care what you are," Zoro said, grinning, "I'll _never_ call you 'Queen'."

Nami raised a slender eyebrow in response. "Oh," she asked with an air of innocence that was anything but, "well then, I guess I'll have to raise the interest on your debt then, and perhaps tack on a fee as punishment."

"What?" Zoro growled, blanching, "You can't do that! That's cheating!"

"I'm a _pirate_," Nami said with a wide smile. "And soon to be the Pirate _Queen_ to boot. Both of which mean that I can do whatever the hell I want and there's nothing you can do about it."

Zoro turned to Luffy, scowling, and motioned to Nami as if to ask if he was really going to let her follow through. Luffy just shrugged and laughed, resulting in a further deepened scowl on the visage of his first mate. Robin and Jinbe joined in the laughter at Zoro's expense, while Nami bounced on her heels happily.

Suddenly to the shock of those around him, Luffy called for his chef in a mighty roar that one might have heard from miles away. "Sanji!"

A short moment later the man in question burst through the door of the kitchen, perhaps thinking that the ship was under attack and he was needed. He blinked confusedly when he saw there was nothing of the sort happening and peered at his captain from across the deck.

"What?" he asked, slightly annoyed to be taken away from his kitchen for what was sure to be an unnecessary and ridiculous concern on the part of his eternally hyperactive captain.

Luffy raised both his arms in the air, hands balled into fists, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Prepare a feast! Time for a party!"

The others near Luffy all shared a grin, it had been a while since they had a proper party.

"Why the hell are we having a party?" came Sanji's incredulous response.

Nami sucked in a breath and reached out to discreetly grab Luffy's cardigan. He glanced at her, sensing her distress, and quickly shouted back, "Because we're pirates!"

Sanji narrowed his visible eye at his captain before sighing and withdrawing a cigarette from a packet in his pocket and a lighter from the other. He lit the cigarette with a simple flip of the cap of the stainless-steel lighter and took a deep drag. "Fine," he said with an exhale, accompanied by a cloud of smoke. "Give me a little time, you shitty rubber, you'll have your party."

"Alright!" Luffy yelled back joyfully. "Don't forget lots of meat!"

"I know, I know," Sanji replied back, before turning back to the kitchen. He allowed himself a small smile as he opened the door. In truth, he didn't mind throwing a party and cooking a feast for his dunderheaded captain, and it had indeed been a while since they last celebrated anything. He just had to put on a stern face and push back against his captain, mainly out of principle, so that the moron's behavior didn't run amok.

_I wonder if they've finally got the move on, _he thought, wondering at the occasion.

Nami breathed a sigh of relief with the retreat of their chef and gave Luffy's cardigan a gentle tug in thanks. It wasn't that she didn't want Sanji to know about her and Luffy, she just wanted a little privacy on a ship that rarely offered any due to the rambunctiousness of the crew. Zoro, Robin, and Jinbe already knew, and that was three people too many by Nami's count. Hopefully, her and Luffy's status would remain unknown for some time, to allow them to adjust and enjoy themselves a bit.

_Yeah, right_. Just as soon as the wish had crossed Nami's mind had it disappeared, brushed away like a leaf in a tornado. She knew there was absolutely zero chance that there would be any lengthy reprieve, not on this ship.

But then again, that was part of the reason she loved being on it.

* * *

The feast was chaos, which is to say that it was perfectly in line with all of the other activities that took place on the Thousand Sunny. Moments after the kitchen door closed with a light click sealing Sanji away from the outside world, Luffy had grabbed Nami by the hand and sprinted off to tell Usopp, Chopper, Franky, and Brook, with Nami in tow.

Her startled screech provided much amusement to those left behind.

From beginning to end, the affair was a blur. The music was loud and raucous, and they all danced and sang along with Brook during songs they knew and listened intently during songs they didn't. They danced during many, Luffy boldly snatched Nami by the hand and spun her in circles, laughing, before Usopp and Chopper demanded he dance like they did and, in his place, stepped Jinbe. And she spied Robin and Zoro dancing and laughing as well, and Franky doing poses and Sanji being roped in by Luffy and Usopp and Chopper.

The laughter echoed across the waves from the day and into the night.

At some point during the chaos, Luffy slipped away with Robin, only to return minutes later and snatch Nami away from Chopper. He was proudly fisting the stem of a beautiful flower with petals of deep red, rimmed with white around the edges and black in the core of the flower. His presentation of the beautiful flower was distinctly child-like, complete with his trademark grin.

Nami gently pried the stem of the flower away from Luffy's grasp and lifted it up to her nose. She took a long, deep breath, drinking in the earthy scent of Luffy's flower. She opened her eyes to find him beaming at her, and she beamed right back. Her face contorted in surprise when he reached and took the flower from her hand and slipped it in her hair above her left ear.

Nami smiled at him, coloring slightly, and he smiled back. They stayed like that just for a brief moment before Zoro stumbled over and challenged Nami to a drinking contest, which Nami was perfectly happy to accept. The booze was cold and sweet and there was plenty of it. The contest was initially only supposed to be between Zoro and Nami but it didn't take long for it to turn into a contest for the whole crew, which then turned into Luffy draining an entire barrel in one gulp accompanied by the laughter of the crew as his body reshaped to look like a water balloon.

The buffet was seemingly endless, which was necessary for the satisfaction of the man in charge of the ship. Spreads of meats and fruits and deserts provided a colorful display to their unending delight.

It was a cycle of chaos befitting of piracy. The more they ate and drank, the more they sang and danced. The more they sang and danced, the more they laughed, and the more they laughed, the more they ate and drank.

Suddenly, the afternoon sun had given way to a sky that was rapidly turning from dusk to night, the sinking sun splashing the ship and the horizon with a brilliant blazing orange light. Happily drunk and pleasantly full, they listened and laughed at Usopp's outrageous stories. Before long the sun had completely faded and, Brook replaced Usopp in front of them and put together a magnificent concert as they sat on the lawn deck of the Sunny.

The night brought a chill but Nami could feel none of it, probably due to close proximity of the man to her immediate right. Brook played for them a new song of his, one that they had only heard a few times before.

Liquid courage boiled in her veins, and she felt a tad bit daring.

Luffy was having a wonderful time tonight. The feast was amazing, as the food provided by Sanji always was. He was full, they had danced and drank and laughed and played, and now were being treated to a special concert by their star musician.

His eyes flitted shut when Brook gently plucked the strings of his guitar for the start of his third song, content to simply listen and enjoy.

The chill that he felt wan not the chill of the night, though. Instead, it was a chill that ran down the length of his spine courtesy of the press of soft, warm lips to the shell of his left ear.

And he didn't smell liquor or food or the sea, instead he smelled the sweet fragrance of tangerines envelope him.

And he didn't hear the sound of Brook's guitar, nor the sound of his voice as he sang. Instead, he heard the soft, breathy sound of _her _voice in his ear.

_Can I tell you something just between you and me?  
__When I hear your voice, I know I'm finally free.  
__Every single word is perfect as it can be,  
__And I need you here with me._

_When you lift me up, I know that I'll never fall.  
__I can speak to you by saying nothing at all.  
__Every single time I find it harder to breathe,  
_'_Cause I need you here with me._

_I think I see your face in every place that I go  
__I try to hide it, but I know that it's gonna show  
__Every single night, I find it harder to sleep  
__'Cause I need you here with me.  
_

_Can I tell you something just between you and me?  
__When I hear your voice, I know I'm finally free.  
__Every single word is perfect as it can be,  
_'_Cause I need you here with me._

His eyes were wide and his body stiff as she sang to him, and as the final note faded in his ear, he felt her lips pull away from him. Quickly, he turned his head to his left and found her eyes. She was smiling coyly at him and blinked once, rather coquettishly.

_Well, well. What's this now? _Franky thought, having witnessed the entire exchange between the two. He tilted his head downward and slid his sunglasses further down on his metal nose so he could peer at the pair over the rim. He smiled widely at what he saw.

Quickly he stood and opened the rectangular compartments on his metal shoulder, drawing the attention of his crewmates around him. There was a brief sizzling sound, followed by a series of high-pitched whistles as projectiles flew out of his enormous shoulders. _Such a super development deserves a _super_ celebration, don't you think, Captain?_

Everybody turned at the sudden sound of the fireworks shooting from Franky's special shoulder storage except for Luffy, who had not taken his eyes off of Nami for even a moment after she had sung to him. Nami turned her head toward Franky and then up to the sky to follow the streaks of smoke. There was a clap of thunder and the crew were bathed in swath of brilliant lights.

Nami's mouth fell open and she gasped at the display. Luffy continued to stare at her intently, mesmerized by how the various explosions of color played about her features. He felt with his haki that everyone was focused on the fireworks above them and thus decided to be reckless.

He reached out with his right hand and cupped Nami's chin with palm, his thumb and index finger securing themselves on either of her soft cheeks. She blinked, surprised, when he turned her head toward him. He admired the way the light from the fireworks danced in her amber eyes.

And then he surged forward and kissed her deeply.

She squeaked in surprise, before melting into the kiss. A whimper left her mouth next, when Luffy brushed her tongue with his, and it set a shiver down the length of his spine, a blazing heat in his chest, and a craving for his navigator deep in his gut.

He quickly broke off the kiss before he reached the point where he might not have been able to back away. Nami's lips chased his own for a short distance before she caught herself, eyes widened as she became aware of what he had just done. She quickly looked around, confirming that everybody else was focused on the fireworks, and then met eyes with Luffy again.

Her pupils were wide and excited. Luffy couldn't tell whether the red on her cheeks were a product of their kiss or the result of the fireworks above them. She opened her mouth to say something to him but stopped when the lights faded. Brook struck up another song, _Bink's Sake_ this time, and the attention of the crew was on him once more. Nami turned to look at Brook, and then back at Luffy again, giving him a sly smile.

She suspiciously left her right hand halfway between them on the grass of the lawn deck and turned towards Brook again, bobbing her head to his song. Luffy glanced down at her hand and smiled, before discreetly slipping his left hand on top and tightening his fingers over hers. He too turned to Brook, and they both joined in singing with their crewmates.

The party lasted late into the night, broken only when the rambunctious group decided that even they were tired. All members helped clean up the mess, carrying cups and plates into the kitchen to help Sanji and picking up any trash they may have left on the ground before beginning to head their separate ways.

It was at this time that Zoro decided to take a breather before going to sleep for the night, walking up to the wooden rail of the Sunny and taking in the sight of the swaying ocean and the silvery reflection of the moon across the face of the water.

The swordsman smiled and turned, leaning backwards against the railing, just in time to see his hot-blooded captain swing open the door with a wide yawn that stretched his face beyond normal human proportions.

He was also just in time to see a certain orange-haired cat burglar quietly open the door that had just slammed shut only moments previously and stealthily slip inside.

Zoro's lips curled into a thin grin as he shook his head.

* * *

Another one down. Hopefully you find Luffy's deliberations to be as in character with him as possible. I think that's how he'd act. The song is Here With Me by Marshmello and CHVRCHES. First time I heard the song, I thought of Nami thinking of Luffy. Think it fits, even if it's probably a bit cheesy to have her sing to him. Thought there's a lot of cheesiness in this to begin with...

Let me know what you think. Really appreciate the reviews for the last chapter, as well as all the reviews in total. Please review this chapter and let me know what you think, as well as if you see any mistakes that I missed. This, by the way, is the penultimate chapter in this story, the next one will be the last chapter. Hopefully this chapter, and the next, deliver on your expectations.

Hope you're all well. Stay safe and healthy.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_It was at this time that Zoro decided to take a breather before going to sleep for the night, walking up to the wooden rail of the Sunny and taking in the sight of the swaying ocean and the silvery reflection of the moon across the face of the water. _

_The swordsman smiled and turned, leaning backwards against the railing, just in time to see his hot-blooded captain swing open the door with a wide yawn that stretched his face beyond normal human proportions._

_He was also just in time to see a certain orange-haired cat burglar quietly open the door that had just slammed shut only moments previously and stealthily slip inside. _

_Zoro's lips curled into a thin grin as he shook his head._

* * *

She landed on his back with a dull thump, locking her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. "Gotcha," she whispered in the shell of his ear.

"Nope," he said with a chuckle, and she noticed that he hadn't even broken his stride. Not that she had really expected him to with his massive strength, but she was left a little disappointed even still. "I saw it."

"Luffy!" Nami complained, "That's not fair!"

Luffy turned his head towards his right shoulder, where her head was positioned, and grinned. "I'm a pirate, Nami. I don't have to be fair."

"Scoundrel," she huffed, giving him a mock glare. "Set me down."

His hands, which had found their way under her thighs to hold her up, released their grip as he set her down gently. Nami grabbed his right hand with her left and fell astride with him, leaning her head on his right shoulder.

"Did you have fun?"

"Mhm," she hummed, "the party was wonderful."

"And the food was great, too! I ate a lot!" he replied, face stretching into a wide grin.

"You _always_ eat a lot," Nami said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes and lifting her head off of his shoulder.

Luffy made to respond but instead was silent with curiosity as he noticed how her hand tightened over his even more strongly and how she began to pick up her pace so that she was slightly ahead of him, pulling him along.

She was nervous.

The tug became more insistent, and her gait gained a bit more in pace. In the end, he chose to not say anything and follow her, more than content to wait for her to come to him with whatever was causing her newfound anxiety.

And so it was shortly thereafter that she stepped in front of the door, opened it, and pulled him inside before quickly shutting it behind them.

"Nami, are you okay?" he asked to her back.

Ignoring his question, she quickly lifted his hat over his head before turning and striding past him, walking to the nightstand that stood against the polished wooden wall, right next to his bed. Luffy, head tilted in curiosity, padded softly behind her. He saw her deposit his hat on the nightstand, along with a small bottle, which she placed right next to a folded up piece of paper. His brow furrowed, having not noticed she was carrying the bottle earlier. She reached up with her left hand and grabbed the flower he had given her, removed it from above her left ear and gently deposited it on the nightstand as well. Her hair swished from side to side as she shook her head to promptly correct her hair.

"Nami," he said, concern leaking into his voice. "What is that?"

"It's nothing, Luffy," she said quickly, not wanting to bother him with the details of the bottle she had been given by Robin after the pair had snuck away from the party for an impromptu meeting on Nami's request.

"_As much as we'd all love it, Nami, perhaps now is not the time for little captains and navigators running across the deck of the Sunny," _the archeologist had said with a sly smile.

"It's just a bottle of pills for afterwards, well _tomorrow_ really, it's nothing to worry about."

"Wait, pills?" he replied, voice seeped with worry. "Are you sick, Nami? How bad is it? Do I need to get Chopper?"

Nami's eyes rolled a full circle, she should have known he would completely ignore her stating that it was _fine_ and home in on the idea that she needed pills for something. She quickly turned on her heels, placed her hands on both of his cheeks and leaned up, delivering a gentle kiss on his lips, mercifully cutting off his declaration that she couldn't get sick again and that he'd have Chopper in his room this very minute and that she'd be fine, she'll see (or something to that effect, anyway).

When she pulled her lips from his she leaned her forehead against his, and brushed her nose against his nose, seeking to comfort him. "Luffy," she said softly, reassuringly, "I'm fine. I'm not sick. I'm not going to get sick. Those are for something else, nothing is wrong with me. I promise."

He was silent for a long moment, electing to simply study her chocolate eyes with his. He tersely nodded his head, jostling her own.

"Good. Now wait here like a good boy," she said with a smile and turned back to the nightstand. She opened the lone drawer and withdrew a set of four candles she had procured from Franky before her chat with Robin, and she internally begged that the eccentric shipwright held firm on his promise that these candles were completely normal and she wouldn't be in for any weird surprises when she lit them. She couldn't help but eye the plain looking yellow wax in suspicion, however.

She arranged the glass-ensconced candles into a square and lit them with a match, also provided by Franky. She sucked in a breath, waiting for the inevitable explosion, but it never came.

Pleased, Nami turned and strode past Luffy to the light switch next to the door, distinctly aware that his eyes were on her, as they had been this entire time. With each step she took her nerves grew worse, forcing her to pause in front of the switch. _Be brave,_ she thought to herself, drawing a long, shuddering breath in an attempt to steel herself. _Be brave like he's brave._

She flipped the switch downward and turned again, striding back and stopping directly in front of Luffy. For an extended period of time she gazed at his face, admiring how the light from the candles cast shadows across his features.

She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him again, just as softly and sweetly as she had done before. This time, when she pulled away, she gently placed her hands on his chest and pushed him backwards. His face slipped into a mix of curiosity and confusion at her actions, and then surprise when the back of his knees caught the edge of the bed and he fell on his behind.

"Luffy," she said sotto voce, looking down at him but unable to meet his eyes, "I want to share something with you."

His head tilted to the side and his eyes knitted in confusion as he peered at her. She finally met his gaze with her own, having mustered all the confidence she thought was possible, and slowly, deliberately reached toward the red sash tied around the waist of her white sundress. Her hands slipped around her back and gently tugged at the loose ends of the soft fabric, undoing the bow and the sash fluttered to the floor.

Luffy followed the sash as it floated downwards just as intently as he had followed her hands. He stared at the sash for a moment, before his head twisted up at her, gazing at her with the same expression he had a minute previously.

It was when her hands lifted up to the lining of her sundress at her breast that his expression changed and his eyes widened visibly. When she gave the dress a tug and pulled it down over her breasts, he sucked in a breath and quickly turned his head to the side, adamantly not looking at her now exposed bust.

She smiled, knowing that he was being courteous and that he was probably fearful of being charged a hefty sum, not that _he_ should have anything to worry about.

"Luffy," she called, "What's wrong?"

In the intermittence between her question and his answer, she studied his face and was pleased to see a little bit of color seeping onto _his_ cheeks, a welcome reversal from all the times he had been the one to make her flush recently. It also helped her tamp down the completely and utterly irrational feeling that he was looking away because he wasn't attracted. She knew she was beautiful, and she knew he thought so as well.

"I'm broke," he said simply, confirming her suspicion that he was partly influenced by his fear of being punishment.

"Foolish boy," she chided softly, "I _want_ you to look."

Hesitantly, Luffy turned his head and carefully made eye contact with her, eyes never straying from her face. Her heart melted just a bit knowing that he had elected to look at her eyes before her body. She betrayed nothing though and waited patiently while Luffy continued to stare at into her eyes. A subtle dip of her head severed as an act of encouragement, one that he recognized.

A moment later he let his eyes drift slowly downward over the long expanse that was her neck and to the swell of her generous bust, tipped by hardened pink points. He collected a shaky breath and his eyes slid lower, across her smooth, toned stomach and down to her waist and supple hips, where rested a pair of black lace panties.

Luffy's eyes quickly farted back up to Nami's face, as if he thought he had lingered a bit too long. Nami again studied his face and again was pleased to see his skin take on an even redder flush. There were many things this loveable fool was capable of, but hiding his feelings was certainly not one of them. While his face didn't betray much, it was the widened eyes and the deep red spreading across his cheekbones that let her know he was _certainly_ interested in her.

As did the sizable bulge she spied in his shorts that had begun to form as he had been examining her mostly nude body.

But even more prevalent to Nami was what his dark eyes also gave away; uncertainty, unsureness at what he should be doing. At what he should be doing next. This was adorable to Nami, and comforting too. As someone who had no experience herself, she was reassured that Luffy had none either, and it made this all the more special to her that this would be the first time for both of them. It also struck a bit of a chord with Nami in that he was her Captain, and she his Navigator, her role was to be a guide to him on the seas, and she was more than happy to guide him here even despite her own inexperience. They were to have a lifetime of experiences together, only natural that they should experience this together, too.

He was her Captain, and she his Navigator.

She looked down at his hands settled in his lap, unmoving, and reached out with both of hers to grasp both of his. She pried them gently out of his lap and moved forward, climbing on the bed to straddle his lap, knees digging into the soft bedding.

"Before we…before this…" Nami trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say. She blinked and looked down at their intertwined hands, settled between them, and ran both of her thumbs across the knuckles of the hands she was holding. Her eyes snapped back up and she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his. She gave his hands a firm squeeze.

"Only you," she said lowly. "Only you can see me like this, can be with me like this. _Only you_." She paused and studied his eyes then, hoping that he would get what she was trying to convey to him, that he'd understand.

She saw the flicker of recognition in his eyes and he nodded his head against her.

"I don't want to be this way with anyone else."

She trusted him above everything else. She trusted him with her life, her soul, her dream, her happiness, and she knew that even before he uttered those words, he would have never sought to hurt her. But hearing those words from him, despite knowing that he'd never betray her trust, hell he had already essentially proposed to her in his own way, hearing those words filled her with an indescribable happiness made it hard to breathe.

She brushed her nose against his in gratitude and love and slowly pulled his hands upwards toward her chest, eyes never straying from his. She softly pressed his hands against her chest, the sudden warmth of his calloused hands cupping her supple breasts drawing a soft gasp from her.

Luffy's eyes widened slightly in wonder, and his gaze dropped down to her hands cradling his own against her bust. The accompanying gasp she made as he gave an experimental squeeze lit a fire in his blood and he sharply drew his gaze up to make eye contact with Nami once more.

He nudged her nose with his, as she had done previously, and eyed her full, pink lips, still parted from the gasp that fell through them seconds before, and seized forward capturing her in a heated kiss.

His lips moved insistently, demandingly against hers, and she whimpered in his mouth at the feeling of his kiss. She pulled away to take a breath and moaned when she felt his hands squeeze her breasts. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her eyes from a haze that settled due to the sensations she was now feeling. It failed, as Luffy was not one typically for patience and he lunged forward to reclaim her mouth.

Luffy wondered if maybe he should slow down just a bit, but the eagerness with which Nami responded to him suggested that he was very much doing what she wanted, judging by the hands that now cupped his cheeks and the nips and bites she left on his lips. His body seemed to be reacting to her all on its own, and he didn't mind it not one single bit. He realized that what he felt in this moment was hunger, ravenous hunger for _her._ He needed his lips on hers, he needed her in his lap, he needed the sounds she made, the whimpers and gasps and moans, and most of all he needed her _closer_.

He broke their kiss once more, eliciting a mewl of disappointment from his navigator, and dropped his right hand from her breast to around her waist and tugged her to him so she was flush against his body. Nami gasped at the feeling of her heated core against his still covered groin and her skin against the portion of his chest not covered by his cardigan.

He released her other breast with his left hand and slid it around the back of her head and up her neck, threading it in her orange locks and gently pulling on her hair to tilt her head up.

Luffy leaned forward and nipped at the soft skin of her left ear lobe and trailed downward along her jaw. She squirmed in his grasp, wriggling to and fro in his lap, only increasing his fervor for her. There was no rhyme or reason to his ministrations, no grand plan, his body just moved on its own, hungry for her. Hungry for _all_ of her.

Something about her drove him crazy, the sweet smell of tangerines in her hair, the feel of her smooth, soft skin against his own, the plethora of sounds she made. _Maybe it was all of it_, he thought as he kissed the tip of her chin before nudging her head further up with his own.

Nami's body felt hot, her blood felt like it was carrying molten lead, as Luffy kissed and bit at her heated skin. She gasped when he began the slow trek down from her chin to her neck and moaned aloud when he nipped at her throat.

If he hadn't told her he had no experience with this sort of thing, she would have thought he had been around the block quite a few times. As it stood though, he would never, ever lie to her, and she absolutely believed him, figuring that he was just acting on instinct, like most everything else he did in his life. _God, but he's a fucking prodigy_, she thought as he nibbled at her collarbone.

He paused and she felt his head tilt, and so she forced her gaze downwards from where she had been boring a hole into the ceiling, to meet his eyes. Her frustration that he had stop melted away as she realized that he was asking for her permission. She slipped her hands from his cardigan, which she had tightly fisted somewhere between the time he had locked her in a searing kiss and the time he had been administering love bites all across her ear and jaw line, and slid them over his shoulders. She nudged her forehead against his, giving her silent permission, a plea even, to continue.

Keeping her eye contact, he leaned forward and placed a slow, deliberate kiss on her breast, just above her heart. Her lips quivered and she felt tears begin to form in her eyes at the gesture. She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and pulled him closer to her, encouraging him to continue.

Luffy placed another gentle kiss over her heart and then over the hill of her breast, before removing his right hand from her waist and using it to lift it closer to his mouth. He softly kissed the tip of a hard, pink nipple, before slipping it into his mouth.

"Oh, Luffy," Nami gasped, the sensation of his warm mouth on her sensitive bud sending electricity down her spine. She gasped again when he nipped at it, pulling her nipple gently with his teeth. Her hands threaded through his hair and she gripped tightly, pulling him forward and closer to her breast.

With his tongue he drew light circles around her nipple, flicking the peak at regular intervals and rolling it gently between his teeth. All the while, he kneaded her other breast with his left hand, lightly pinching and pulling as he went.

Nami was overwhelmed by the foreign sensations and found herself desperately needing to find relief from the pressure building inside her and ground herself against the now fully formed erection in Luffy's shorts, nestled firmly against her core. She let out a strangled gasp at the contact and the man beneath her let out a sharp hiss. She rolled her hips again, seeking more contact with him, drawing a groan from him.

In response, Luffy's hands moved to grip her waist and pull her down further into his lap so that she was firmly seated against him, unable to move. A disappointed, frustrated whine left Nami's mouth, and he abandoned his ministrations to her breast and pressed his lips to hers in a demanding kiss.

Nami struggled to move against him, frustrated by his strength. She wriggled her hips in his lap, desperate to create more of that wondrous contact, when he suddenly broke the kiss and twisted their bodies, laying them down on the bed so that she was underneath his muscled frame with his head resting lightly against hers. As a consequence of the change of position, his body weight rested on his elbows on either side of her shoulders, and Nami recognized that he could no longer stop her. She rolled her hips upward in a long motion against his groin, drawing another groan from him, and he responded by pressing his groin tighter against her core in an effort to restrict her movement.

"Nami," he panted, his warm breath splashing pleasantly over her face.

"Luffy…"

"I can't…" he whispered

"You can't what?"

"I don't think I can control myself."

"Oh? Am I driving you crazy, Captain?" she replied in a teasing whisper.

"Yes," he answered truthfully.

"Good," she said, "because you're driving me insane too."

Luffy stared at her for a moment and then smiled. She smiled back and then lifted her head up to kiss him slowly. Her hands found their way under the opening of his cardigan and began to slide the red fabric off of his shoulders. He got the hint and shifted to help her, pulling his arms through the sleeves of the shirt and allowing Nami to take it off of his body and throw the material to the floor.

Nami broke from his lips and pressed her fingers to his chest, feeling the firm muscle beneath her fingertips. As her digits brushed over the wide expanse of his pectorals, the thought crossed Nami's mind that she didn't much like the idea of Luffy fighting hours long battles against the monsters of the New World or him being thrown into an internment camp and tortured, but she'd be lying if she said that he didn't come out of those particular trials with spectacular success, judging by the new width and depth of his torso. Nami hadn't the opportunity to fully appreciate the glory in front of her, but now, with her fingers trailing softly over his skin...Nami bit her lip, trying to contain herself for just a bit longer, as she marveled at what was now, finally, _hers_. Quickly, she made a mental note to thoroughly explore his torso later, the thought bringing more moisture to her core.

"Luffy," she called, temporarily shelving her desire to run her hands and even her lips all over his chest and abs, "you have too many clothes on."

He blinked and then looked down between them, eyeing his shorts. "Oh," he said, and pushed himself up before standing at the end of the bed. Nami sat up once he was removed himself from atop her and scooted to the edge of the bed. He made to reach downs to the button on his shorts, but Nami swatted his hands away, leaving a questioning frown on his face as his arms now dangled by his side.

Sitting with her legs crossed underneath her, she leaned forward and with both hands undid the stud button that held his jean shorts comfortably to him, giving his shorts a sharp tug once they had slackened around his waist. She ignored the pair of denim shorts as they fell to the ground, eyes locked on the bulge that was even more prominent against the weaker fabric of his black boxers.

Nami's hands made their way to the lining of his boxers and slowly pulled them downwards, overcoming the slight resistance his member created as it strained against the material. With a stern tug, the fabric gave way and his length sprung free, bouncing until it came to rest.

_Wow, _Nami thought to herself as she regarded the specimen before her, having never seen one before. He was long and thick, and she wouldn't deny that his size was a bit intimidating given her inexperience.

But she was also intrigued. Intrigued by how Luffy's member stood proudly in front of her, intrigued by its shape and size and the tuft of hair at the base of his length.

And even more than the intrigue or the intimidation, Nami found she was excited. She was excited to draw the sort of noises she had made just minutes before from Luffy, like he had when he was attending to her. She was excited to see him writhe in pleasure because of her, knowing that it was _her _that brought those feelings to him. She _had_ wanted to share this with him as she had mentioned before, she had wanted to love him, and him her, in the physical sense as well as the emotional, and she was eager to delve further into this area that neither had ever experienced and wouldn't ever experience with anyone other than each other.

Nami reached out and lightly brushed the swollen head of Luffy's length with her right index finger, watching it bob at the contact, before reaching further to the base and gripping his shaft with her hand. She was surprised that he was large enough for her to be unable to encircle his entire length in her hand and how soft and hot the leathery skin felt in her palm. She heard Luffy inhale sharply and looked up to meet his eyes, taking extreme pleasure in his freshly red cheeks and the way his teeth dug into his bottom lip. His eyes gazed back at her, wide and excited, and when she looked back down ready to continue, she noticed his hands balled tightly into fists.

All of this, seeing him react to her this way, pleased Nami.

She gave an experimental pull, dragging her soft hand from base to tip and back again, drawing another intake of breath from her captain's lips. Nami looked up as she repeated the action, wanting to see her lover's reaction. To her eyes, Luffy seemed to be struggling to contain himself. The muscles in his strong jaw twitched occasionally and his nostrils flared. She rotated her wrist lightly once as she continued and he lost a little bit of his control, hissing in pleasure.

It was when she ran her thumb over the tip of his length that he finally caved to her ministrations. "Nami…" he grunted, stumbling slightly and placing his right hand on her left shoulder in an attempt to steady himself.

Nami smiled cheekily in response, preening internally at her accomplishment and loving the husky tenor of his voice, and glanced back down. She swiped over the tip with her thumb again, smearing the thin liquid that had begun to leak out around the head of his length. With her right hand still pumping his shaft, Nami reached out with her left hand to gently cup his testicles, taking care not to squeeze too hard and hurt him.

_Though is it possible to hurt him like this? He is made of rubber_, she thought. The thought gave Nami an idea and she pulled just a little harder on his member than she had before and blinked in surprise as his length stretched under the pressure, just like the rest of his body. She filed the information away for a later date when they had plenty of experience under their belts, though she doubted that they'd need to foray much in that direction given his natural size.

She was broken out of her reverie when Luffy huffed and shuddered, wobbling slightly on his feet.

"Does that feel good, Luffy?" she asked teasingly.

"Yes," he hissed back as she began to pick up the pace at which she stroked him. She rolled his testicles in her palm and he offered her more praise, "It feels really good, Nami."

_Just wait_, Nami thought to herself, _it's about to get much better_. She desperately wanted to see him come undone on account of her and leaned forward even more, ready to take him inside her mouth.

But before she could, she felt his hand slide off of her shoulder and cup her chin in his palm. He tilted her head up and she glared at him, frustrated that he had interrupted. In the semi-darkness, she could see the slight sheen of sweat left on his forehead. His chest moved unsteadily, as if he had been struggling to breathe and was trying to regain himself.

His eyes were what caught her though. Partially shrouded in darkness due to the dim light of the candles on the nightstand behind her at the head of the bed, Nami was still able to pick out his onyx eyes, even darker than normal due to arousal. His heated gaze sent a shiver down her spine and heat to her core. His right hand remaining under her chin, Luffy stretched his left arm down until he was able to reach around her to the small of her back and pulled her up and towards him.

Nami stumbled to her feet and used her arms to brace himself against his chest, distinctly aware of his length being sandwiched between them, pressed tightly against her belly. She opened her mouth to scold him for interrupting her turn, but before she could even utter a syllable, he had rushed forward and took her lips in a blistering kiss. She squeaked in his mouth under the intensity of the kiss and moaned when his tongue wound its way into her mouth, pressing insistently against her own.

His right hand that had been under her chin wound its way from her chin to the back of her head as he threaded his digits tightly in her orange hair while pulling her even closer to his body with his left arm, still secured tightly around her waist.

Nami's head began to spin and she tried to push back against his lips with her own in an attempt to gain control, but he was simply too demanding. She felt him lean further into her forcing her to take a step backwards, which he then followed with a step of his own. A second step backwards and she realized he was pushing her back to the bed and mentally braced herself for a fall that never came.

Instead, Luffy simply dropped his left arm from the small of her back down beneath her ass and lifted her up. Nami quickly wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as he continued to walk her back. She felt a slight jolt as he persisted to plunder her mouth with her own and she realized that he was now kneeling on the bed and moving them closer to the headboard.

Nami broke away from him with a gasp as he slowly laid her down, making sure her head rested on one of the pillows on the bed as he climbed on top of her. Her chest heaved as she tried to regain her breath and her lips and mouth tingled from the kiss he had just administered to her.

"Luffy, what-"

"It was still my turn," he growled, cutting her off. He leaned down from over her and kissed her lips again briefly, before kissing her chin and then moving down to her throat. "I'm still hungry."

_You greedy bastard_, she thought as he found the sensitive spot on her collarbone with his teeth, tearing another moan from her. He kissed a line down through the valley of her breast before reaching up and planting quick kisses, accompanied by gentle love bites, on the stiff peaks of her breasts, one after the other.

She squirmed underneath him as he kissed and licked his way down to her navel, and while Luffy generally had little idea of what exactly he was doing, rather doing whatever his body told him to do, he thoroughly enjoyed the reaction of Nami's body to him.

He nipped at the soft skin just above her belly button, right where it started to sink down into her navel, before slipping his tongue inside the small crevice. Nami gasped again, sending a shiver of pleasure down Luffy's spine, and he looked up to see Nami's fists clenching the sheets beneath her. He met her brown eyes, glowing with the reflection of the candlelight.

He gave her a soft kiss on the small expanse of pale skin just under her belly button and she jerked in response. Luffy's lips stretched into a sly, mischievous grin intending to pay her back for her teasing earlier. He raised his right hand and curved his index finger, and her eyes widened in recognition as her mouth dropped open.

"Luffy-" Nami started hurriedly, before letting out a high-pitched squeal. She thrashed beneath him, forcing him to use his left arm to hold her down at her hips as he continued to drag his index finger across the skin just below her navel, a spot on Nami's body he knew was extremely ticklish.

She quickly sat up and darted forward, grabbing his hand with both of hers by the wrist, gasping for breath. "No more," she said, giggling. Luffy merely laughed in response and rotated his hand in hers, pulling both of her hands to his mouth. He kissed the knuckles atop both of her middle fingers, then turned his hand around again a placed his large palm on her belly. He applied just a little bit of pressure, signaling to Nami that he wanted her to lie back again.

Nami, who had been smiling as he sweetly kissed her hands, now eyed him warily, concerned that he would tickle her again the second she let her guard down. She laid back slowly, her narrowed eyes a clear message to Luffy that she expected no mischief. He merely grinned at her in response, as if to say that he wouldn't guarantee anything.

As soon as Nami's back touched the bed, Luffy leaned forward slowly and placed a soft, lingering kiss in the same spot as he had before, the same spot that he had tickled her just moments prior. The sensation of his warm lips ghosting on that spot made Nami squirm slightly, as it had before. He placed another kiss a little lower next, that made Nami's body flush with the heat that had been lost moments prior, with his relentless tickling of her stomach. His next kiss, even lower still, added more of that wonderful heat that Nami desperately craved to explore with Luffy, but also added a bit of nervousness and self-consciousness to the fray, as when he had kissed her, his bottom lip had softly pressed into the edge of her black panties.

As if he had felt her nerves, and Nami reasoned that he probably had as he seemed to be more attuned to her than ever thanks to his Observation, he looked up at her flushed face and dilated eyes, silently seeking permission for him to go further.

She stared back at him briefly, and then gave him a shaky nod.

Intent on soothing her nerves, he pressed a kiss just underneath her belly button and Nami gave him a thankful smile in return. Luffy lifted himself up and sat back on his knees, reaching forwards with both of his hands to hook his fingers around the waistline of her panties.

He pulled gently and slid them down her thighs, Nami raising her legs to help him. Only when she put them back down, legs slightly parted so her calves were on either side of him, did he see her fully.

As always, she was beautiful.

A small, triangular patch of neatly groomed orange hair rested above glistening pink folds. He glanced up at her face, flushed bright red and adamantly avoiding eye contact in embarrassment. _What is she embarrassed about? _he thought.

He reached forward with us right index finger and gently ran it through the soft tuft of curls, watching as Nami's hips squirmed. She let out a shaky breath but still refused to look him in the eye, instead choosing to stare a hole in the wall adjacent to the bed.

_Maybe this will get her attention,_ he thought to himself before leaning down, nestling his upper body between her legs. Her head snapped to him now, but he ignored that for the sight in front of him. Mere inches away from her, he could smell her arousal. He reached out again, this time dragging his index finger across the length of her mound, prompting a poorly hidden moan from his navigator.

Luffy inspected his finger, now shining with Nami's arousal. Deciding that the smell of her on his finger was appealing, he slipped his finger into his mouth.

"Luffy!" Nami gasped, "That's-" she stopped her sentence midway through, at a loss for words. _That's really fucking hot,_ she thought to herself.

The man in question looked at her curiously, and then looked down at her folds. He edged closer and gave a quick, experimental swipe of his tongue across her folds. She jerked in surprise and gasped at the feeling.

_That's…not bad, _Luffy thought. _It's not meat, but it's…Nami. I like Nami. _He especially liked the sounds she had been making since they had started, and was eager to coax more from her. He gave another swipe of his tongue, longer and slower this time, and watched as Nami's lips parted, a moan slipping from her mouth.

He loved it.

With a growl he brought himself closer to her core and planted a kiss on top of her orange curls, then slowly kissed a line down her core. He pressed his tongue flat against her and gave a long, broad stroke upward.

"Oh, fuck," Nami cried, writing in pleasure. He looked up and was just able to see her face, eyes pinched tightly and jaw slack, over her generous, heaving chest. He nipped at her lips with his teeth, gently biting all the way around her core before giving another long lick to her heat. "Your fingers Luffy," she gasped, "use your fingers too!"

_My fingers? _Luffy thought, pausing in curiosity. He looked at her core for a moment and then pressed his index finger to her heat, watching as half of his finger sunk into slick mound. He inhaled sharply at the warmth that surrounded his digit, blinking as he felt her muscles flutter around him. He pulled back and her hot walls struggled against him, seemingly desperate to not relinquish their grip on his finger. He acquiesced to her body's desire and plunged his finger back in, all the way down the knuckle.

"Fuck," Nami moaned. Her hands released their tight grip on the sheets beneath her and reached out to him, threading her fingers through Luffy's hair. She pulled him closer to her core, desperate for him to continue. Feeling her need for him, Luffy consented, bringing his mouth back to her folds and beginning to steadily pump with his finger.

Nami's body jerked with the sensations. She heaved and twisted with pleasure as he continued ministrations, and then saw stars when Luffy's tongue accidentally swiped a spot at the apex of her core.

"Oh God," she cried, convulsing. "Right there, Luffy!"

Luffy eyed the small nub he had accidentally flicked with his tongue before moving back in and pressing a kiss on it. He felt Nami's body twitch beneath him and the convulse violently when he nipped at it. His grinned, enjoying the whimpers and moans and gasps he was able to coax from Nami's mouth, reveling in how she called his name and pleaded for him to continue. He was a pirate, and thereby inherently selfish, so it was only natural that he wanted more. He was the man who would be the King of the Pirates, and so if he wanted something, he took it. With that, he surged forward towards her sensitive nub, eager to hear more of those wonderful sounds from his lovely navigator.

_What the fuck, _Nami thought, gasping at Luffy's assault on her clit, _where the hell did he learn this? How is he so good?_

"God, please," Nami cried out. She began to feel a tight knot in the pit of her stomach, a burning pressure that she oh-so-desperately wanted, _needed_ to be released. Perhaps it was when Luffy's curled his finger in the most delicious of ways, or when he tugged on her burning clit and flicked it with his dexterous tongue, that the dam broke. She wasn't aware of the time, whether it was minutes after Luffy started or mere seconds, she only was aware of the sensation that completely overwhelmed her.

Her back arched mightily, her hands pulling Luffy tightly to her. Enamored by her taste, fluid having rushed from her as she climaxed, Luffy continued to feast on her in an attempt to lengthen the pleasure she felt. Only when her hands left his head and fell limp at her sides did he pull away from her heat.

He sat back on his knees before her, watching her reaction. Her mouth hung slack and loose, her eyes pinched tightly. Back still bridged, she shuddered and twitched for a few moments before collapsing back on the bed. Her breathing, stopped before, sounded now like she had run a marathon. Her chest heaved as she tried to regain her breath.

All of this he watched with curiosity, but even more so with pleasure. He wasn't exactly sure what he did, or what it was that overcame Nami, but she seemed to enjoy it. Knowing that she lay before him as she currently did, having called his name and gripped his hair, brought him an enormous amount of pleasure and pride.

Finally her breathing calmed and she opened her eyes, gazing at him blearily. Blinking a few times, as if trying to clear her sight of a haze, she reached out to him with a hand, beckoning him to join her. Luffy did as she wished, sliding over her body and covering her with his own. His forehead rested upon hers.

She tilted her head up and shyly but leisurely kissed his lips, tasting herself on him. It was odd tasting herself on his lips, but highly erotic to her. He reveled in the press of her generous, soft chest against his own, the warmth of her heated skin on his. She broke the kiss with a huff and meekly looked away from him. When she returned her gaze upon him moments later, he felt pride at the pink on her cheeks.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Nami asked him suddenly.

"Oh," Luffy said coyly. "I read it in a magazine."

Nami blinked in confusion, surprised that he would even read a magazine, let alone possess one. Especially a magazine containing stuff like _that_. "A magazine?"

"Mhm. I got hungry one night and broke into Sanji's locker to look for food, and a whole bunch of magazines tumbled out. They had all this weird stuff in them and people doing strange things to each other. That was one of them," Luffy said, his face twisting into a frown. "Did I do something wrong?"

Nami, unable to control herself, broke into a fit of giggles due to the absurdity of Luffy looking for food and stumbling onto a smut trove as well as the adorable face he put on thinking he did something terrible. "No, foolish Captain, you did nothing wrong," she answered. She extended a finger and poked him on the forehead lightly. "But," she said, "no reading those things."

Luffy cocked his head, "Why not?"

"Because those type of things aren't respectful to women, not the things that Sanji would read."

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked. "Sanji is always talking about respecting women. He's a gentleman, right?"

"Yes, he's always _talking_ about being respectful to women, but talk and actions are two different things. You can say you respect women, but that flies out of the window when they can't take a bath in privacy because you're trying to spy on them," Nami said sternly. Her features softened as she regarded Luffy. "Sanji is a nice man, and a dear friend. But a gentleman? Maybe not so much. In ways, you're much more of a gentleman."

"Me?" Luffy said, drawing back.

Nami reached forward with both her arms and slipped them around his neck, pulling his head back down to her.

"Yes, you," she said, nudging his nose with hers. "You're kind and gentle and sweet and caring and so many other things. You're very gentleman-like."

Luffy scowled childishly, "I'm a pirate! I don't want to be a gentleman!"

"Fool," Nami said, "I said you're gentleman-_like_, not that you were a gentleman. I don't want you to be one, I just want you to be you."

Luffy blinked and regarded her momentarily. "Well," he said, "I guess that's okay then. I want you to be you, too."

"Good!" Nami exclaimed with a grin, "Because I didn't want to change anyway!"

She stuck her tongue out at him and Luffy grinned. She tilted her head up again and this time he met her, pressing his lips against hers. He felt her tongue prodding at his lips and he opened his mouth a little wider, meeting her tongue with his.

The kiss was long and drawn out, wholesome, and they were in no rush to separate, merely enjoying the feel and taste of each other.

"Did it feel good, Nami?" Luffy asked, after they pulled apart.

"Oh, it felt wonderful, Luffy. Thank you," she replied, giving him a peck on the nose.

"I'm glad," he said, his face breaking into a grin, making Nami smile as well.

"I've heard the next part feels even better," she said, still smiling. "For both of us."

"The next part?" Luffy asked, his face twisting into confusion. "That wasn't it?"

"I thought you knew what sex was?" narrowing her eyes in accusation at the man above her.

"I do!" Luffy said, "Well sort of. Ace told me but didn't say much about it. Something about how it's when people do things in bed together and it feels good. A mystery thing!"

"It's a little bit more than that," she said, rolling her eyes with a smile. "No, what we did is called foreplay. Sex is what comes next."

"What comes next?"

Nami nods and he stiffened in surprise when she snakes her hand down and grabs his length firmly in her soft hands. "This," she began quietly, "is supposed to go where your fingers went."

Luffy peered down at her as she handled him, gazing at her honey colored eyes. He sucked in a breath as she maneuvered him to brush against her slick folds and stared as her mouth fell open at the contact, her plump, soft lips parting ever so slightly.

"Luffy," she whispered, "before we start, I need to tell you something."

He nodded at her, noticing the uneasiness in her voice.

"For girls, the first time they do this can hurt for a little bit, so-"

At the mention of her being hurt, Luffy snapped to attention, startling her. He drew his head back from her and raised himself off of his elbows. "Hurt? But I don't want to hurt. If this hurts you, I don't want to do it. We can do other things, Nami, I don't-"

She cut him off in the middle of his rambling by pressing a long, thin finger to his lips, rolling her eyes. Though, despite her slight exasperation, his reaction was everything she had come to expect from him, his care for her another solidifying factor of the depth of their relationship and another testament, one among many and many more, that she had absolutely made the right choice in loving him. "Hush, sweet boy," she said. "I want this. If I didn't, we wouldn't be doing this."

Luffy gave a shake of his head, shaking her finger off of his lips. "But Nami, I don't want to hurt you!" he replied insistently.

"Luffy," she said, reaching forward with both of her hands and grabbing him by his cheeks and pulling him back down to her. He huffed at the loss of warmth surrounding his member, for she hadn't released him until now, but then focused on her serious amber eyes. "It happens for all girls their first time. It will only last a little bit. I'll be fine. I want this. I want this and I want to be with you. I trust you. Okay?"

Luffy frowned and searched her shining eyes, looking for any sign of hesitancy but found none. He bit his lip in thought, then gave her a terse nod. She smiled brightly and placed a quick peck on his lips in celebration of his agreement.

"Thank you, Luffy," she said, reaching down his body to claim his length in her hands again. He sucked in a breath as she handled him again, brushing his head against her cleft.

She gave him a firm squeeze and pulled on his length, urging him to move his hips forward. He acquiesced to her silent command and moved his body lower to cover hers once more. She lined him with her heat and nodded her head against his, beckoning him to press his hips forward.

Luffy stared at her intently as he slowly began to sink into her looking for any signs of pain, but her gaze was down between their bodies. Feeling his gaze on her, she looked back up at him with eyes that betrayed nervousness. "Okay, so do it quickly. Better to get it over with, you know?" she said shakily.

"Nami," Luffy began, "are you sure? We don't-"

"I'm sure," she said, cutting him off. "It's fine. It'll only be for a moment. I want this, Luffy." She glared at him sternly, emphasizing her point and leaving him with no argument. He nodded, brushing his nose against hers, and placed a quick peck on her lips.

And in one quick motion surged forward, burying himself to the hilt inside of her. Nami let out a sharp yelp and buried her face in the crook of his neck. She was wet and hot, and her walls fluttered against him wonderfully. She felt amazing and it was an otherworldly experience that had his breath rattling as he exhaled. He desperately wanted to move, but he shelved all of that out of his concern for the woman beneath him.

He patiently waited for her breathing to calm and her gentle shaking to subside. After a long minute in which he adamantly ignored the wonderous sensations of being inside her body, she finally removed her head from his collarbone and lay it back on the pillow, allowing him to finally inspect her face.

Her eyes were red and small tear tracks glistens under her eyes and on her cheeks. He frowned and kissed at them, starting on her right cheek and up to just under her right eye and then across to her left eye and down to her cheek. Only when he was done did he pull back, asking lowly, "Are you all right, Nami?"

She rolled her eyes at his concern, though touched by his doting. She certainly hadn't expected him to be able to exhibit the kind of care and attentiveness he displayed as he kissed away the tears from her face. "Yes, dork, I'm fine," she said, assuring him of her well-being. "It only hurt for a moment, like I said it would. You're a lot to take in."

She wasn't lying. It had hurt initially, but time and his attention to her alleviated the discomfort. Now, she felt only a remarkable fullness and a burgeoning pleasure in her belly, a tingle of rapture swelling deep inside her. She also felt impatience, a growing desperation to make the man above her believe her and finally _move_.

Oblivious to her desire and impatience, Luffy only tilted his head, inspecting her for any signs of dishonesty, not even recognizing the compliment. The only thing he found was a raised eyebrow and a challenging glare.

"Luffy," she said, bringing her hands up to cup his cheeks, "I'm fine. I promise." She placed a quick peck on his lips and brushed her nose against his. "You can move now."

After a long moment, Luffy accepted her answer. Not breaking eye contact with her and forehead still resting on hers, he drew his hips back until he was almost all the way out of her and surged forward, bottoming out. She gasped, mouth hung open, and Luffy's lips parted as well as he finally allowed himself to feel, to experience her.

She was hot and wet, her walls tight around his length as he rested inside her. The feeling to him was incomparable to anything he had ever felt before. He released a shuddering breath as her muscles fluttered around him and leaned down to kiss her red and swollen lips.

She responded to him readily, and he could feel with his Observation that she felt very much the same as he did, confirmed when they parted and she uttered a soft "Wow."

She exhaled loudly after they broke apart, a surprise to Nami as she thought she felt all of her breath leave her body when he slid deep inside her. She felt so full, so complete with him buried in her body that she didn't think there was any room for air. He was thick and long and throbbed pleasantly inside her. Her belly was flushed with heat, and she yearned for him to move to relieve her of the burning pressure she felt.

"Again," she called to him. "Do it again."

So he listened. He withdrew himself from her and quickly pressed back into her, enough so that her breasts bounced with the force. She gasped again and pulled her legs sharply up to cradle his hips, not locked behind his back for the sole purpose of allowing him to continue. Her thighs held his sides in an iron grip.

Her hands found purchase in his hair as she pulled him to her lips for a rough kiss, only to be broken when he thrusted again. Her breath left her as if he was driving it from her, and she gripped him with her hands and her legs as if she would float away if she didn't maintain contact.

Luffy had never experienced anything remotely close to what he was currently feeling. Each roll of his hips brought him an indescribable sense of pleasure and fulfillment, pleasure from the heat and snugness of her body and the fulfillment from being with Nami in this way, understanding the incredibly intimacy of what they were doing.

She was his navigator, his guide, one of his best friends, and so much more. She was his Queen, and he reveled in it. He reveled in the feeling of her clamping tightly around his length. He reveled in the gasps and the cries of pleasure he drew from her, and the way her generous bust bounced because of him.

Most of all, he was enthralled by her. He was enthralled by the glow of her eyes and the redness of her lips, their taste sweet when he leaned down and captured them. He was enthralled by the sound of her voice as she voiced her pleasure and by the overwhelming sensations he felt from her walls as they tightened upon him, her slick heat unwilling to relinquish him as he made to withdraw.

He was utterly captivated by her, by the way her pale skin glowed gold with the candlelight and her orange hair splayed behind her head, the shifting light of the candle making it shimmer like flames. And her eyes, how they shined with the candlelight, focused on him and him alone.

She was angelic, and she was his, and that pleased him greatly.

He continued to drive into her, relishing the grip of her walls on him, so reluctant to release him. Her eyes pinched closed as they found a better rhythm together, her hands gripping his biceps tightly, desperately clinging to him.

"Fuck, Luffy!" she cried out, lost in a haze of pleasure. He felt a building pressure rising in his gut, a burning wave threatening to overtake him, and using his observation, felt a similar feeling coursing through his navigator.

He redoubled his efforts, trying to push her over the edge that he felt was rapidly approaching for both of them, and leaned down, capturing the rosy tip of her right breast between his lips, worrying it with his teeth.

Nami, overcome with the sensations, threaded her long, slim fingers in his hair and pulled him tighter to her breast. She gasped his name and pleaded for him to continue as he continued to push into her and cried out every time he dragged his teeth over her sensitive nipple. She felt like every nerve from her toes to the tips of her fingers was on fire, lit aflame by the man above her. She was coming close to her climax, and desperately rolled her hips in sync with his thrusts in the hopes that she'd achieve it.

It was one such time that her hips met his in such a way that he brushed against her sensitive clit, the effect so powerful it sent her roaring over the edge. Her vision flashed white and she jerked violently, pleasure overwhelming her entire being. She was distinctly aware of the heat that flooded her core, accompanied by a breathy gasp of her name, and she sighed pleasantly with the realization that he too had found his climax with her.

The knowledge of him emptying himself in her was a wonderful revelation of the intimacy of their act, now closer together than ever before, and she was once more thankful that of all the places she could be and people in the world she could be with, she was here on this ship in this bed with this man.

Only moments after they had climaxed together did he collapse on top of her, both his weight and his warmth pleasant against her body. He nuzzled his nose into her neck and puffed a hot breath against her delicate skin, overwhelmed by the feel of her pulsing core, clenching around him.

"Wow," she said, finally opening her eyes to the world, the golden candlelight shimmering across the wooden ceiling.

"Wow," he repeated, muffled against her neck.

They stayed that way for a minute, until Luffy propped himself up on his arms to take his weight off of her. He rested his forehead against hers for a moment, and she examined his eyes. They were wide, excited, and full of wonder. And love.

She leaned up and gently kissed his lips, and he returned the favor in kind. And then he slowly withdrew himself from her body, and she gasped at the loss of his heat and the sudden emptiness. He rolled off of her to her right and laid on his side, facing her. She rolled on her right shoulder and mirrored him, facing him.

An initial bout of tiredness washed over the pair, but it was pushed aside by a wave of energy, a tingle of electricity that slipped through every millimeter of their bodies. While Nami guessed that Luffy felt what she did, Luffy could not only see it afflicted her too, but he felt it within her body as he used his Observation.

Her wide, honey colored eyes glowed in the candlelight and a wide smile stretched across her features, and he felt his own smile stretch across his.

They stared for a while at each other, not speaking, only enjoying the sight of the mussed hair and the fading sheen of sweat, or the sound of each other breathing, heard quite acutely as they were only inches away from being nose to nose. They enjoyed the smell of each other, but mostly just enjoyed just the sight of the other person being right in front of them.

But silences never lasted long on this ship, not with this captain, and they eagerly began chatting in hushed voices and conspiratorial tones about everything and nothing at all, things significant and insignificant alike. Random things like what Luffy was excited to eat on whatever island they next came to, and how much money Nami was going to steal from bad people there. Hushed whispers became hushed giggles and chuckles when Luffy began random impersonations of crew mates and gasps when Luffy told her of pranks he played on Usopp and pranks he hoped to achieve in the future.

They talked and conspired late into the night, late enough that the candles now burned low and the room was noticeably darker than before.

It was then that Luffy's face took a more serious demeanor and he asked her, voice still sotto voce, "Nami, what were those pills you put on the nightstand?"

Nami blinked, flabbergasted by the direction he had suddenly taken. She could see in his face though that he was genuinely concerned, and while he went along with her earlier, she had never truly waylaid his fear that she was sick. She reached out with her left hand and cupped his cheek, drawing her thumb across the underside of his right eye, tracing over the soft skin.

"It was nothing to worry about, Luffy," she said, and he opened his mouth in protest but she quickly cut him off. "They're special pills, Luffy. Not pills for when you're sick."

"What are they for, then?" he asked, brows furrowed in confusion. "Why take pills when you're not sick?"

She smiled at his innocence and was overcome with amazement that one of the most fearsome men in the world, soon to be the most fearsome, and one of the most wanted criminals in the world, happened to be perhaps the most innocent among them all. "You see, Luffy…when men and women love each other very much and do what we just did, and the man, um…does what _you _did inside a woman…sometimes they can have a baby together."

Luffy's eyes widened comically and he blinked in surprise. "Wait! You're going to have a baby now? Did you even want one? Did you even want one with me? Should I not have done that? I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Nami giggled and shushed him, brushing her nose against his. "Hush, foolish man. It's okay. Yes, you should have done what you did, I wanted you to. And no, I'm not pregnant." Luffy's mouth clamped shut and he waited on bated breath for her to continue. "As for a baby…I think I would want one, but off into the future, and you're the _only _person I would want one with. Just you."

Luffy nodded and Nami continued, "But that comes later, much later. At a time when both of us are ready for that. These pills just stop the baby from coming. That's all."

Luffy nodded again, and as she stared into his cobalt eyes, she found herself wondering about a time in the far-off future where perhaps such a thing could happen for them. _Would we have a boy? Or maybe a girl like sweet little Tama? _she thought. _Would they take after their daddy, or would they be more like me? Would we have a Monkey D. Ace for a boy? Or maybe a Monkey D. Belle for a girl? _

And then she suddenly found herself imagining a round-faced, black-haired boy bouncing around excitedly accompanied by an orange-haired girl, both shrieking with laughter as they were chased by a dark-haired man that wasn't ever in a position good enough for her to catch a glimpse of his face. She did recognize the trademark laugh though and felt warmth flood her with the thought that maybe one day this particular event could come to pass. This _was_ the ship of dreams, after all, and the man that ran it _was_ the man that would make all of their dreams come true. _Perhaps this one too_, she thought.

But for now, not so, and she was driven back into reality by gentle tapping on her nose. She blinked and realized that Luffy was repeatedly pressing his index finger against her nose to get her attention, and she scrunched her nose in response.

"Is everything okay, Nami?" she heard him ask quietly.

She gazed upon him and was suddenly overcome by an intense longing, perhaps brought about by her daydreaming, a longing to be closer to him, and a fear, albeit one that she knew was irrational, that made her blood run cold for just a moment.

"Nami?" he called out again, a tinge of worry in his voice. She focused her sight on his eyes, having been looking at him without really seeing anything moments prior, and saw his worry reflected in his onyx eyes. He opened his mouth again to say something, but she preempted him by surging forward and catching him in a heated kiss, spurred by the bubbling desperation she felt in her gut.

He let out a muffled sound of surprise, but otherwise engaged with her, allowing her to control the tempo. She sidled closer to him, shifting her body inches over and closing the gap between them so that their bodies were touching. She deepened the kiss and brushed her tongue against his lips, and he allowed her press further forward.

Luffy's eyes drifted shut as she kissed him, and he was distinctly aware of a turmoil plaguing her, which is why he allowed her to do as she pleased. _Would she feel better?_ he wondered to himself as she pressed her suit with her tongue, flicking it against his own as well as against his teeth.

So when she took her left hand and placed it against his right shoulder, he readily ceded to the pressure and rolled to his back even as she glided over to him and threw her left leg over his body, straddling his hips. She broke the kiss very suddenly, her head hovering above his own, her nose only inches away from his own. She breathed heavily, hot puffs of air wafted gently across Luffy's face.

Luffy eyes flicked across her features, the amber eyes in slight distress, the flared nostrils, the parted lips, red and kiss-swollen. Her hair had fallen around their faces, cascading downward like a veil of orange, glowing with the light of the candles. Here, behind the luminescent curtain of her hair, they were hidden away from everything, alone but for the two of them in their own little world.

And Luffy thought in this moment, with the light and shadows that flickered across her face, illuminating her, that he had never seen anything in the world so beautiful.

"Don't leave me." Her words reached his ears as a strangled whisper, a desperate plea that pierced him deep in his chest. His eyes widened as he looked at her, and her eyes took on a glassy, watery sheen. She was struggling not to cry, and it broke him a bit on the inside.

"Don't ever leave me alone. Please, don't ever leave me alone."

A feeling of desperation washed over him, a worry over a promise to another man made long ago after he had finally secured her back on his ship, but even more importantly a promise made to himself that he would never, ever take her smile away.

She should _never_ cry. Anything that made her cry was a crime against nature itself, and any place that she didn't want to be, he would destroy. She should never be anything but happy. And the thought that she could be in some way dissatisfied with him, or worried about being left behind was off-putting and concerning.

_Why would she ever think I could leave her? _he wondered, reaching up slowly with his left hand, cupping her cheek and using the pad of his thumb to brush away the wetness that had started to drift from eye.

"Never."

Her lips curled downwards as she tried to contain a choked sob, and Luffy leaned up and kissed her sweetly, gently worrying the soft skin of her lips with his teeth. Her response was more aggressive, more hurried, she leaned into him heavily and curled her fingers against the muscles of his chest, scratching his rubbery skin with her nails. He didn't mind, though, and over time he won out and she began to relax into him, matching his leisurely pace.

When she separated from him, not by much because she still wanted to be as close as possible to him, her eyes were much less glassy. She nuzzled his nose with hers appreciatively, aware of what he had done. She took a long, steadying breath before pushing herself off of his chest, so that she sat up atop his lap, the pressure she had put on him forcing him to lay flat on the bed.

He looked at her curiously, while she smirked and looked at him haughtily.

_I'm a Queen, _she thought, gazing down at him with the arrogance of the position. She slowly dragged her hips backwards, gliding her core over his length, trapped between them. He sucked in a sharp breath and his hands flew to grip her wide hips, fingers digging in harshly. She cast down a warning glare at him and he narrowed his eyes.

_I'm a Queen, _she thought again, swiveling her hips once more, none of the superciliousness from moments prior lost. _I'm a Queen, and this is my throne. _

She slid her ass across his pelvis again, just a bit further this time so that his length sprung free, standing proudly between the two of them, the top side glistening with the residue of her arousal. He let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding in.

Nami smirked again at his reaction, pleased with the small details, like the flaring of his nostrils, that showed her he was struggling with her teasing.

And then she slid her hips forward again, her slick lips moving across the underside of his length and trapping it against his stomach. He let out a frustrated growl and gripped her hips harder, pulling her down more firmly against his member and stilling her movement. She gasped inadvertently, and then glared at him for moving out of turn. He bit his lip and glared back, ever defiant.

Finally, mercifully, she began to move again, swiveling her hips once, twice, three times over him, until she too felt the burning need for _more_. And so once more she shifted her hips forward, even slower than before, taking care to again move just a little further than she had previously so that she was in danger of coming off of his length completely.

This time, however, when she motioned her hips backwards, she applied just a little more pressure to him, and was rewarded when she felt his wide head catch against her entrance. His nostrils flared as he huffed a strong breath out of his nose, and she bit her lip and curled her fingers on his chest, scratching his rubbery skin with her nails.

She pressed her hips backwards a bit more, and after a momentary struggle, his broad head lodged itself between her lips. She bit her lip and tilted her head back as she began to feel the tingling pleasure and forced herself further back until he was seated fully inside her. A long, low breath left her mouth and she blinked, staring at the shadows that danced on the ceiling with the candlelight as her body rejoiced in the feeling of being full and completed and she relished the wonderful way in which Luffy stretched her.

She felt his fingers dig into the soft skin of her hips, and she was aware of his desire for motion. More motion, more contact, more _something_, a feeling which she reciprocated because _damn _this was bliss. Nami slid her hips forward and then back again, slowly, maximizing every second of movement with him inside her, reacquainting herself with the feel of him.

Finally, she lowered her eyes down to his face, his dark eyes impossibly darker as he stared at her, drinking in her every detail. Nami felt as though he was trying to commit everything about this moment to memory while simultaneously, and desperately, forcing himself to hold back. He was hungry, and hungry for her, but he was acquiescing to her prior demand.

He was being such a good boy, she reasoned, so she would certainly reward him and help him along.

She swiveled her hips as a reward, rolling them moderately as a favor. The hiss he let slip through his teeth was sweet, sweet music to her ears. She bit her lip as she rolled her hips again feeling him slide out of her and back in, down to the hilt. She celebrated all the feelings, all the wonderful sensations she felt, the heated skin of his thighs under her ass, the hot pulse of his dick in her, the flush of his skin and the light sheen of sweat beginning to form on his beautiful, muscled chest.

But it all came back to the eyes with him. _God_, she thought, staring into the obsidian of his eyes, burning with desire. _The way he looks at me…_

And suddenly his eyes broke from hers, shifting down, and she felt his hands slowly ghost over the curve of her hips and onto her abdomen, and she was going to scold him for moving in a way she didn't approve until she felt his hands settle on the flat, taut skin of her stomach. She stilled both her body and her mind as she watched him, her breath hitching when she saw the care and intensity with which he was staring at her belly.

And by the look on his face, she knew what he was thinking in that moment, for it had been the same thing she had been thinking not minutes earlier. She could see it in his eyes, what he was imagining. _Is he thinking of the names? _she thought. _Or the looks?_

She smiled down at him, but he was so engrossed in his deliberations that he didn't even notice, not until she had covered his hands with hers for a moment before gently tugging them upwards to above her breasts and to her lips, pressing the soft skin to the tips of his index and middle fingers on each hand.

_In time, Luffy, _she thought, and she knew he understood when the corner of his lips tilted upwards into a small, lopsided grin. But then she lowered her hands again, still holding onto his, and guided his large, rough hands to cup her breasts, a reward for being such a sweetheart.

And suddenly that look was back in his eyes, and his hands tightened around her bust in such a way that it pulled the air from her chest.

And suddenly she was riding him again, slowly at first but then faster because _damn_ did she want him and all of him, and it didn't help (or maybe it did) that he squeezed and pinched her nipples in just the right way or that his dick hit just the right spot as it stretched her.

And she was so absorbed in the tumultuous sensations plaguing her that she didn't notice Luffy's own predicament, that he was utterly enticed by the heave of her breasts as she rode him and the feeling of them in his hands or the feeling of her wrapped suffocatingly around his length. She didn't notice the tightening of his jaw or the gritting of his teeth, harder and harder such that he was lucky that his entire body was made of rubber lest his teeth crack under the pressure.

And she didn't notice his frustration that, despite how wonderful this was, and it was _wonderful_, that he wasn't close enough and that, as is the nature of every pirate, especially so the man who would be the king of them all, he simply wanted _more_. And it was this notion, and Nami's preoccupation with riding him like it was her life's mission, that allowed him to surge upwards, wrap his right arm around Nami's shapely hips and his left arm around her back and up her neck, tangling his long fingers in her hair. With his right arm he pulled her closely such that they were tight together and with his left he gripped her hair and pulled gently, forcing her head to tilt back and expose the succulent skin of her slender, pale neck, ripe for his taking.

And take he did, latching onto a spot on her throat that had her shuddering in pleasure. He nipped and sucked at her neck, each second driving Nami into a frenzy of emotions, and confliction too, because she couldn't decide whether to yank him away from her neck because this was going too fast and she could feel herself even now approaching that precipice as her hips worked furiously over his and his ministrations worked furiously on her body, or to hold him to her like he was the only thing keeping her tethered to life.

In the end, though, it just felt _too_ good, the drive of him inside her, which he helped along with the arm slung around her hips and pulling her downwards, adding more power and pressure to her efforts, the way in which his teeth slid across her neck and then collarbone and then her breasts and then back to her neck again, the way his left hand tugged her hair gently, prickling her scalp, and then hefted her breasts and pinched her nipples before winding up in her hair again. It just felt so good, so Nami held him to her like her life depended on it and she cried out and writhed and gasped and did everything under the sun while keeping her hips moving, and at a furious pace too, barreling towards that cliff she had experienced for the first time earlier that night.

She remembered distinctly the moment it happened, and everything involved. She remembered the way his right hand cupped her ass and the pressure of his fingers as he gripped her. She remembered the way his left hand similarly cupped her right breast, and how his index finger and thumb rolled the hard, puckered tip of her pink nipple between them. She remembered how his lips ghosted over her neck before he reached up and stole a deep kiss from her, and the feel of his tongue against hers and the sound of his groan as she tightened around him, meeting her whimper of pleasure.

She remembered all this when that feeling inside her exploded and her vision flashed and her core tightened like a vise around him, and when she shuddered and writhed atop his lap and inside his powerful arms. And as her body shuddered, she felt an inkling of discontent under the very, _very_, present contentment, precisely because of what it is she did _not_ remember, or what she did not feel, rather. Because the one thing that she didn't feel, among the ocean of pleasurable feelings running through her breasts and neck and ass and core, was the feel of him reaching his own climax and the pleasure and pride of knowing that she had driven him to it.

With this, she pulled away from him, gasping for breath, her hips still jerking and twitching slightly on occasion in the aftermath of her own climax, pinning him with a stare acknowledged in his hazy, lustful eyes. She began accusingly, "But you didn't-"

But before she could finish, as she was going to accuse him of not doing the very thing she strove to make him do, he expertly flipped them, repositioning them so quickly that she was unable to process what happened until she felt the soft fabric of the sheets beneath her back and his face hovering above her own.

The intensity of his look is what prompted the silence that followed, Nami content to merely observe the way in which he looked at her and his actions that would follow. For a while, or what felt like a while, but what was really only moments, Luffy looked down at her and took in the sight of her. He took in way in which her orange hair, glowing and flickering with the light of the candle on the nightstand, spread outwards behind her, giving her a quite angelic look. And the way in which that same candlelight illuminated the brown of her eyes, brightening them and causing them to shine in the relative darkness. Or the tint of red dusting her cheeks, matched by the flush of red peppered across and between her heaving breasts.

Everything about her, in this moment and every moment, could be described in a single word that he had almost uttered when she sat atop him for the first time. And this word is what made him want to experience all of her, even more than he already had, which is why he had fought so hard as her tight, wet heat clamped down and gripped him like a vise, to not lose himself just yet because, as was his nature as a pirate, he simply wanted _more_ of her.

"Beautiful," he whispered, looking down at her, acting on urge to finally declare what he had seen earlier. He thrusted home and then kissed her, swallowing her gasp and giving no opportunity to retort.

And Nami found herself dissatisfied, not for anything on Luffy's part. On the contrary, her body pulsed with wave after wave of mind-numbing pleasure with each deep stroke of his hips. Her body hummed with satisfaction, each thrust sliding his body against hers. There was no room between their bodies, just skin against skin and her breasts pressed tightly against his rugged chest and wonderful friction and she absolutely loved it. But there was one thing, one thing that she couldn't voice, and she suspected it was intentional on his part, purposefully denying her this _one_ wish that she wanted so desperately to come to fruition.

She broke away from his lips with a gasp, chest heaving, and uttered his name with a strangled plea. "Luffy-"

And he left her no room to comment further, immediately connecting his lips to hers again in a searing kiss that left her head spinning. She moaned into his mouth, and he growled his approval. Though she felt something, a particular curl to his lips, a confirmation of her earlier suspicion. He had smiled in their kiss. He knew her distress, and was deliberately teasing her.

And she found it frustrating. She growled and broke away again and was preparing to scold him for his insubordination. "Luffy-"

But he swooped down again and crushed her protest under another sweltering kiss. She forced herself away yet again, "Luffy, plea-"

It wasn't a kiss that cut her off this time, rather a deep stroke with his length that hit a spot so sweet inside her it stripped her of all of her breath and made her see stars. She blinked once, clearing her vision and locked eyes with him. "Luffy, please," she begged, moaning as he continued to thrust. "Fuck," she said, pinching her eyes closed as he hit that same spot again. He leaned down and kissed her again, shorter this time, a little bit longer than a peck. He was egging her on, making it clear that she was allowed to voice what it is she wanted from him.

"Luffy, please!" she begged, tugging her arms downward to no avail, "Just let me touch you!"

And Luffy thrusted again, driving the air right out of her body, and Luffy rested his forehead against hers, the tips of their noses brushing against each other. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers, occupying her with a languid kiss while maintaining their rhythm. And then, when Nami had almost given up hope that he'd stop teasing her, he released the pressure of his hands on her wrists, pinned on either side of her head.

Perhaps faster than she had ever moved, her hands ripped free of his and tangled their way in his raven-black hair, pulling him even closer to her and securing his lips against her own. At the same time, her legs wound their way around his waist, locking him to her and giving him no room to pull away.

The moment blurred for both, a frenzy of movement and heat and slipping of hot, sweaty skin. Each collision of their hips brought burning pleasure into the pits of their stomachs as they rushed towards their end. Nami's hands attached to his cheeks and remained as if they were glued there, and he swallowed every moan that slipped from her.

A hard thrust, particularly deep, tipped Nami over the edge and she came hard, fingers curling over the skin of his face. Luffy growled as she tightened considerably around him, and Nami felt a rush of warmth as he spilled into her.

She blinked blearily, not having realized that they had separated from each other's lips. His forehead rested heavily against hers, but he still held himself up by his forearms so as not to rest all of his weight on her. Nami's legs unwound from his waist and dropped heavily to the bed beneath her.

As best she could, tired as she was, she inspected the face of her lover above. His lips were parted, kiss-swollen and red, and she took pride in not only that, but also in how he took in copious amounts of air as he breathed heavily, just as she did. Here he was, an Emperor of the Sea, and the man that would soon be Pirate King, who had overcome some of the greatest challenges walking this earth and fought battles for days on end, and _she_ did _this_ to _him_.

His eyes opened just then, a breath of hot air rushed over her face, and he grinned knowingly, like he knew what she was thinking, and leaned down to brush her nose with his. When he withdrew, she was enraptured by the way the flame of the candle flicked across his dark eyes.

She reached out towards him, but stalled as a wave of tiredness overwhelmed her, and she started to feel herself drift away. She felt his hand encircle her wrist and felt a gentle tug on her arm. Nami blinked and found herself looking across his chest, her right cheek heated by the warmth of his skin and her body and mind being further lulled by the steady hammer of his heart in her ear.

In one last act of defiance, she reached out with her left hand and immediately felt his fingers close around hers without her voicing what she wanted, because he knew everything about her, even when she didn't.

By the time his left arm wrapped around her back after pulling the covers over their hips, she was already asleep.

Luffy looked down at her laying across his chest for just a moment, and their entangled hands resting in on top of his x-shaped scar and smiled, his heart still hammering from the exertion of their activities. He brought his left hand from around her waist to brush his sweat-matted hair from his eyes before burying his nose in her orange locks. His arm returned to her waist, anchoring her to him.

He inhaled, her smell still sweet like a tangerine despite her sweat, and a realization struck him at just that moment, as he had never felt more freedom as a man in his entire life than he did in this moment. _Nami guides me towards freedom, _he thought to himself, _therefore she is freedom. _His lips curled with amusement at the obviousness at it all, and he would have wondered how he could have not come to that conclusion sooner and why it had taken him so long, if his eyes had not finally closed for the final time that night.

His breathing evened out, and the low-burning flame of the candle finally flickered and submitted to darkness.

* * *

The clattering of forks and knives and the clinking of plates did nothing to alleviate the slightly awkward air that permeated the dining room and ensnared its occupants the next morning. All except for one, Zoro noticed, because Robin absolutely delighted in the awkward and uncomfortable.

Three of them knew, and the others did not, but none of the three could hide the two empty chairs that sat to Zoro's left.

Zoro took a bite of eggs from his fork and hoped that the problem would just go away and that nobody would comment on it, but those hopes were quickly dashed when across from him, Usopp took a deep breath.

"Did something happen with Luffy and Nami?" he asked, in a moment of rare bravery, only to shrink at a glare directed at him from Zoro, as he ruined the swordsman's hope that it would just be buried so they could move on.

The kitchen and dining room came to a standstill, and silence reigned. Zoro looked to Robin and she merely smiled at him, amused and happy to let _him_ handle the awkwardness of the situation with no support.

_Damned woman._

"They just, um, seem a bit closer is all. And they're both not here…" the sniper continued pitifully.

Zoro sighed, and reached out to grab his beer, thinking that there wasn't enough beer in the world for this morning. Rarely did he ever drink in the morning, but given recent events, he felt it was necessary to maintain his sanity. He took a long pull before setting his mug back down on the table.

"They're together," he said simply, as if that would settle the matter. And he hoped inside that it would.

"Thought so," Franky said. "Explains that kiss during the party last night."

"Eh!" Chopper exclaimed, "They kissed?"

"Yohoho!" Brook laughed. "No wonder last night felt particularly soulful."

"Shut up!" Sanji roared, before transitioning into a sobbing mess, muttering something about Luffy and "the luck of the devil".

Jinbe roared with laughter as Franky and Chopper high-fived, and Usopp mentioned how he was always certain there was something there, which was drowned out by Brook playing an upbeat tune which he dedicated to "lovers around the world".

Sanji sighed wistfully, having recovered and processed the news with relative ease, not much of a surprise to the crew, as they all knew that while he doted on the ladies of the crew quite heavily, his "love" for them was no more special than friendship, as he was a man of all the ladies of the world.

"Well," he said, "I'll have to teach Luffy the proper way to treat a lady, now."

"No, you won't," Zoro said, calmly.

"What do you mean, 'you won't', stupid moss-head, of course I will. What if he does something stupid and hurts her?"

"I meant _you won't_," Zoro said authoritatively.

"Look here-"

"Think carefully about what you're going to say," Zoro warned. "Because you could be perilously close to suggesting that you or anyone could love her more, or that he would purposefully hurt her, or that she can't make proper, important decisions on her own and that she wouldn't have considered the fact that he's _him_."

Sanji's retort died in his throat, and Zoro continued. "He will do something stupid. He's Luffy. He will also hurt her. And she will hurt him. We let them, and we let them learn and grow, and grow together. We don't interfere unless they come to us."

Silence overtook the room as they considered what had just been said. Zoro stuck a fork in his breakfast, scrambled eggs with a variety of seasonings, and brought it to his mouth, intent on leaving the argument behind. "Tastes like shit."

Sanji sighed and lit cigarette retrieved from his coat and took a long drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke into the kitchen, before nodding tersely, dropping an argument he wasn't going to win. "That's because you're eating undercooked fish eggs, which I laced with poison after having mixed in razor blades."

Zoro cracked a smile and everybody else grinned, the small buildup of tension having drained out of the room, and Zoro turned away from the cook.

"Wow, that was actually pretty smart, Zoro," Chopper said.

"Yeah, who knew you were capable of that?" Usopp agreed.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Zoro snarled, sending a harsh glare towards the pair, causing them to squeal in terror. "Blasted woman. Couldn't hide this thing for more than a day despite being a sneak thief."

"What did you say about Nami-swan?" Sanji yelled, whirling on Zoro.

"Just that somebody should go check on her," Robin interjected merrily. "I'll go. And you should go check on Luffy," she added, turning to Zoro.

"Why?" he asked, having already noticed with his Observation where they were. "They're both-"

His face twisted in pain and a curse fell from his lips at a sharp jab to his shin, the offender clearly being the woman smiling widely at him from across the table.

"So that they don't miss breakfast, of course." She stood from her seat and gave him a look that left him no room to argue with her demand.

"Fine," he grumbled, muttering to himself as he rose from his chair and made to follow Robin, ignoring Sanji's declaration of love for the woman in front of him, and the cries that she'd be missed while she was away.

"You already know where they both are," he said a minute later as the door to the hallway leading to Luffy's room closed behind them.

"I do," she said merrily, wrapping her arms around his right arm and leaning into him. "It's just more fun this way."

"They're asleep."

"I know."

He rolled his eyes at her overt interest in the pair, plodding silently along with her until they reached Luffy's door. Zoro raised his hand to knock but was stopped when Robin grabbed his wrist and shook her head.

A horrified look crossed his features when she reached out and grabbed the door knob, gently turning it so as to not make any noise. He shook his head at her, and she smiled sweetly back.

And then the door was open, and he felt himself being dragged inside.

"How cute," he heard her whisper, but his eyes had remained tightly closed since the moment he noticed her stubbornly opening the door. A poke in his side was his reward for his disinterest, and another poke was his punishment for refusal. Finally, after a third poke, he opened his eyes slowly and was unable to stop a grin from etching itself on his face.

Nami lay almost fully on top of Luffy, with her left hand entangled in his right and her left leg thrown over his legs beneath the covers. She shivered suddenly and tucked her face further under Luffy's chin, and endeavor aided as the arm around her back pulled her closer to him.

Robin disentangled herself from Zoro and creeped forward, grabbing the hem of the covers that lay across their waists and gently pulled them up to the top of Nami's shoulder.

As Robin stepped back, Luffy briefly opened his eyes and peered tiredly at the pair of them. He began to move, but a disembodied arm rose from the bed and placed itself on his exposed right shoulder, pressuring him to lay still.

"Go back to sleep, Captain." Robin whispered from a pair of lips that sprang from the pillow his head rested on, right next to his ear. Luffy nodded blearily and turned his head, placing his nose against the top of Nami's head and slipped back to sleep.

As the devil fruit arm and lips popped out of existence, Robin turned and walked to inspect the nightstand next to the bed, atop which rested Luffy's hat.

"Do you think they used protection?" Zoro whispered.

Robin turned to him and smiled slyly, "You sound like you don't want a new crew mate in nine months."

"A pirate ship isn't a place for a kid," Zoro said, blanching.

Robin brought a hand to her mouth, stifling a giggle at his reaction before reaching down and grabbing a bottle off the top of the nightstand, partly obscured behind a large red petal belonging to the flower Nami had been wearing in her hair the night before. "No worries, I already took care of it."

Zoro nodded gratefully at her, a weight off of his shoulders knowing there wouldn't be any surprises for a long while coming from this turn of events. He watched as she lowered the bottle back to the polished wood of the end table and picked up a small piece of paper that lay next to where the bottle had originally rested, hidden between it, the flower, and the hat.

He cocked his head as she unfolded the small square and smiled, before turning and holding it out to him.

He scowled slightly, because it wasn't his business and he didn't care, but took it anyway to satisfy her. _Troublesome woman._

The swordsman glanced down at the paper and smiled at the tight scrawl in the center of the page.

_Thank you for loving my son._

Wordlessly he held the paper back out to Robin and tilted his head towards the door. She took the slip from him and placed it exactly where she got it, and followed him out the door, closing it with a soft click.

"So his appearance wasn't a random occurrence, then."

"No, it wasn't. He's always desperately wanted to meet Luffy, but didn't want to involve himself with him until such a time that Luffy was strong enough to be able to withstand the increased scrutiny that would occur with knowledge of their relationship. As an Emperor, nobody can threaten Luffy because of his affiliation with Dragon, and he's able to handle himself."

"And Nami?"

Robin smiled. "He had his suspicions after he asked me for a brief history of the crew, but refused to jump to conclusions and refused more detailed discussions until such a time he could meet all of us together. He wanted to hear everything straight from all of us, despite probably knowing everything about us already," she said, wrapping her arms around his as she had when they first made their way to Luffy's room. "He did have, however, special interest in meeting Nami, for reasons that are obvious…and yourself."

Zoro turned to her in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Robin confirmed. "Is it really so odd that he'd want to meet his son's best friend, first mate, and the right hand to the future Pirate King?"

Zoro shrugged and continued along with Robin in silence, reflecting on the appearance of the most infamous man in the world. _He's certainly an enigma, just like his son_, Zoro thought.

His thoughts then turned to Luffy and all of the ridiculous things the rubber-brained fool of a captain had put them through and had the distinct impression that the apple probably didn't fall too far from the tree as far as crazy was concerned, or trees if you included his psycho grandfather. But despite it all, Zoro found himself thinking for the second time in the span of a few days that there really wasn't a place that he'd rather be than on this ship with a captain and friend as nuts as Luffy.

He stopped walking for a moment and turned his head over his shoulder to look back at the wooden wall of the room back in the distance, drawing a curious glance from the woman at his side. She said something to him, he assumed it was her calling out his name in question, but it was lost to him, as if she had whispered it to him from across the deck of the Sunny.

He regarded the dark brown wood in the dimly lit hallway briefly, before turning away and continuing to walk forward, pulling his beau along with him, a wide grin stretching across his face.

_It's about fucking time._

THE END

* * *

Well, that's it. The end.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed the story, and favorited and followed it, and so on. I appreciate all of the enthusiasm you've shown for this story, I really didn't think it would garner as much attention as it has. Pretty cool, honestly. I had worked on this story for over a year (it was all finished before I posted the first chapter), and maybe had the idea of it bouncing around even longer, so it's kind of cool for me to see it come full circle. And all the notifications that I've gotten from reviews and favs/follows only add to that feeling and make the 137 total pages and 62,882 words (not counting the chapter number at the top, the recap that appears in two of the chapters, or the added words in the author's notes...subtract two if you don't want to count 'the end'...) that much more rewarding. I genuinely appreciate it.

As far as this story goes, that's it. No plans for an epilogue, I don't really think one is necessary. Honestly, the epilogue for it is One Piece itself. This story takes place just after Wano, as you can tell, so you could just say that it's a mini-arc of sorts, between Wano and the Straw Hat's next grand adventure.

So again, to all of you, thank you very much. And an especially big thank you to my beta, without whom this story would be significantly less than what it is, and without whom I couldn't have done all of this. Thanks for the advice, the readings, and corrections, as well as your eagerness for the story and encouragement to post it.

Read, review. Let me know what you think, or if you spot any mistakes, and if you think it's worth sharing with others, please do so. I'd like to know what as many people think of it as possible, good, bad, and inbetween. Thank you, and stay safe.


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